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Cleveland Moore,
MD, Principal Investigator Asthma and obesity are leading health problems nationwide, especially among Louisiana children. Several studies have shown an association between asthma and obesity, with a positive impact of weight loss on asthma symptoms, severity, and pulmonary function; although the mechanisms linking both diseases are unclear. Inflammatory response is a well known component of asthma, and recent studies have found that a chronic inflammatory state is present in obese subjects. Inflammation in obese children may contribute to asthma symptoms. The applicants postulate that: 1) Inflammatory markers present in serum and airways of obese asthmatic children are increased when compared to those of non-obese and non-asthmatic children, and 2) Weight loss in obese asthmatic children decreases inflammation and improves asthma. This pilot study consists of 2 phases: Phase I - Aimed at determining systemic and airway inflammatory markers in 4 groups of children: healthy controls, non-obese asthmatics, obese non-asthmatics and obese asthmatics. Phase II - Aimed at evaluating the impact of weight loss on serum and airway inflammatory markers, pulmonary function tests (PFTs), asthma quality of life and asthma severity. This phase will compare 2 groups of children: obese non-asthmatic vs. obese asthmatics Each study group will enroll 10 children, ages 10 to 18 years. Inflammatory markers to be measured in serum include: C-Reactive Protein, Interleukin-6, Adiponectin and Leptin. Airway inflammation will be indirectly measured by exhaled Nitric Oxide. Obese children (non-asthmatic and asthmatics) will undergo a 10 week weight reduction program consisting of diet, exercise and behavior modification. Serum and airway inflammatory markers will be measured at 2 week intervals. PFTs, asthma severity and asthma quality of life will be evaluated pre- and post-weight loss intervention. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) will be used to evaluate
differences among groups in phase I. Independent
T-test will be used to compare inflammatory markers
pre- and post-weight loss in phase II.
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