Obesity influences response to asthma medication

Reported by Susan Aldridge, PhD, medical journalist

A new study shows that body mass index is a factor in asthma control by medication.
We already know that obese people are more likely to suffer from asthma. What is not obvious is how weight affects response to medication. A team at the University of Michigan has been looking at trials of asthma drugs against placebo and has analyzed the effect body mass index has.

First, they learned that asthma control was inferior in obese patients on placebo. This implies that the obese may have worse asthma. Response to the inhaled steroid beclomethasone declined with body mass index but obesity did not have an effect on response to the leukotriene antagonist montelukast. This information could be very useful in helping doctors tailor asthma medication to the individual patient.

Source
European Respiratory Journal March 2006

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