Weight-Loss Surgery Might Reduce Serious Asthma Flare-Ups
Emergency visits, hospitalizations for airway disease dropped by half after procedure, study finds
The current study analyzed databases from three states: California, Florida and Nebraska. These databases included almost 2,300 obese patients with asthma. They were between the ages of 18 and 54. All had weight-loss surgery between 2007 and 2009.
The researchers found that one to two years before surgery, 22 percent of the group had at least one emergency department visit or hospitalization due to asthma. This was reduced to only 11 percent during the two years following surgery, the study found.
The authors pointed out that they only looked at asthma symptoms severe enough to send someone to the emergency department or hospital. So it's not known what effect weight-loss surgery might have on better-controlled asthma.
Hasegawa, an attending physician in the emergency department of Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, said his study is important because there has been confusion in the literature looking at the effects of nonsurgical weight loss on asthma.
"Previous studies with modest weight loss show no consistent effectiveness," he explained.
But, combined with the current findings, "these data suggest substantial weight loss is needed to lower the asthma risk," he said.
So, how could weight-loss surgery reduce the number of severe asthma flare-ups?
The study authors noted that previous research has shown that obesity causes inflammation from chemicals called interleukins that are released from excess fat cells. Asthma has also been linked to inflammation.
"Obesity affects so many health variables that can influence asthma: GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease); activity/exercise; and the need for additional medications for diabetes, pain, etc.," said Dr. Jennifer Appleyard, chief of allergy at St. John Hospital and Medical Center in Detroit.
GERD is a condition where stomach acid backs up into the esophagus, and it's been linked to asthma. "It's important to understand how much these two common and significant diseases are influenced by each other and how important it is to address them both to break that link," Appleyard commented.
This study, she said, "doesn't really address the details of and impact on the 'obesity-asthma link,' which would be something new."
Can Weight-Loss Surgery Reduce Asthma Flare-Ups?
Emergency visits, hospitalizations for airway disease dropped by half after procedure, study finds
The current study analyzed databases from three states: California, Florida and Nebraska. These databases included almost 2,300 obese patients with asthma. They were between the ages of 18 and 54. All had weight-loss surgery between 2007 and 2009.
The researchers found that one to two years before surgery, 22 percent of the group had at least one emergency department visit or hospitalization due to asthma. This was reduced to only 11 percent during the two years following surgery, the study found.
The authors pointed out that they only looked at asthma symptoms severe enough to send someone to the emergency department or hospital. So it's not known what effect weight-loss surgery might have on better-controlled asthma.
Hasegawa, an attending physician in the emergency department of Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, said his study is important because there has been confusion in the literature looking at the effects of nonsurgical weight loss on asthma.
"Previous studies with modest weight loss show no consistent effectiveness," he explained.
But, combined with the current findings, "these data suggest substantial weight loss is needed to lower the asthma risk," he said.
So, how could weight-loss surgery reduce the number of severe asthma flare-ups?
The study authors noted that previous research has shown that obesity causes inflammation from chemicals called interleukins that are released from excess fat cells. Asthma has also been linked to inflammation.
"Obesity affects so many health variables that can influence asthma: GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease); activity/exercise; and the need for additional medications for diabetes, pain, etc.," said Dr. Jennifer Appleyard, chief of allergy at St. John Hospital and Medical Center in Detroit.
GERD is a condition where stomach acid backs up into the esophagus, and it's been linked to asthma. "It's important to understand how much these two common and significant diseases are influenced by each other and how important it is to address them both to break that link," Appleyard commented.
This study, she said, "doesn't really address the details of and impact on the 'obesity-asthma link,' which would be something new."