Does Obesity Affect the Severity of Acute Respiratory Illnesses?

Overweight and obesity do not increase the risk of hospitalization for acute respiratory illness in children or adults, despite the fact that obesity was considered a risk factor for severe disease in hospitalized adults during the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic, according to a new study.

For their study, the researchers assessed 3560 patients aged 2 years and older who presented to the emergency department or inpatient setting with fever and/or acute respiratory illness between 2010 and 2014.
_____________________________________________________________________________

RELATED CONTENT
Pearls of Wisdom: Daily ICS for Persistent Asthma, Right?
What Symptoms Predict Asthma-Related ED Visits in Adolescents?
_____________________________________________________________________________

In this cohort, there were 749 children and 2811 adults. A total of 1405 patients were normal weight (39%), 860 (24%) were overweight, and 1295 (36%) were obese.

Patient demographic information was recorded, and predictions of hospital admission, length of stay and supplemental oxygen required while hospitalized, and antibiotic prescription were determined via multivariable logistic regression.

Results of the study indicated that hospitalization was predicted by very young or very old age and the presence of high-risk conditions. The researchers observed a decreased risk of hospitalization for adults with overweight [adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 0.8), class 1 obesity (aOR 0.7), and class 2 obesity (aOR 0.6) compared with adults with normal weight. However, class 3 obesity was found to be associated with supplemental oxygen requirement in adults (aOR 1.6).

The researchers observed no association in children.

“Overweight and obesity were not associated with increased risk of hospitalization during winter respiratory seasons in children or adults,” the researchers concluded.

—Christina Vogt

Reference:

Halvorson EE, Peters TR, Skelton JA, Suerken C, Snively BM, Poehling KA. Is weight associated with severity of acute respiratory illness? [Published online February 27, 2018]. Int J Obes. doi:10.1038/s41366-018-0044-y.