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Treatment of the Obese Patient with Asthma

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Obesity and Lung Disease

Part of the book series: Respiratory Medicine ((RM,volume 19))

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Abstract

Asthma in obese adults is more severe than in lean individuals, and emerging data from clinical and translational studies suggest that obese patients are also less likely to respond to controller therapies, particularly inhaled corticosteroids. As a result, obese asthmatics receive complicated treatment regimens to which they are less likely to respond favorably. Given the high prevalence of both asthma and obesity, this interaction has significant potential to adversely impact both individual and population asthma burden. Despite this, no specific guidance currently exists in NIH or international guidelines as to the optimal therapeutic approach to the obese asthmatic. This chapter will review clinical data regarding mechanisms by which obesity modifies asthma phenotype, focusing on clinical and translational studies of response to controller therapies such as glucocorticoids and agents targeting leukotriene pathways.

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Correspondence to E. Rand Sutherland M.D., M.P.H. .

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Sutherland, E.R. (2013). Treatment of the Obese Patient with Asthma. In: Dixon, A., Clerisme-Beaty, E. (eds) Obesity and Lung Disease. Respiratory Medicine, vol 19. Humana Press, Totowa, NJ. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-62703-053-3_7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-62703-053-3_7

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