ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: It has been suggested that obesity adversely influences both the severity and the therapeutic responsiveness of chronic asthma. However, it is unclear if it also impacts acute situations. METHODS: To determine whether adiposity worsens the clinical and physiological manifestations of acute asthma and limits therapeutic effectiveness of standard treatment, we contrasted signs, symptoms, medication use, arterial oxygen saturation, peak expiratory flow rate, and the bronchodilator response to standard doses of albuterol in 90 non-obese and 90 obese asthmatics as they presented for urgent care. Treatment and clinical decisions were systematized using published care paths and the peak flow was measured with standard techniques. Body mass index (BMI) was calculated according to consensus criteria. RESULTS: Other than BMI (p < .001), there were no between-group differences in age, gender, race, signs, symptoms, pulse oximetry, or pre-presentation medication use. The pretreatment peak flow in the obese population was 22.4% higher on average (p = .007), but there were no differences in the distribution of severity (p = .38), the response to albuterol (p = .61), or admission-discharge ratios (p = .62). CONCLUSIONS: Obesity does not adversely influence the severity or the resolution of acute episodes of asthma.
Subject(s)
Asthma/complications , Asthma/drug therapy , Obesity/complications , Adult , Albuterol/pharmacology , Albuterol/therapeutic use , Asthma/diagnosis , Asthma/physiopathology , Body Mass Index , Body Weight , Emergency Service, Hospital , Hospitalization/statistics & numerical data , Humans , Male , Peak Expiratory Flow Rate/drug effects , Peak Expiratory Flow Rate/physiology , Sex Characteristics , Treatment OutcomeABSTRACT
RATIONALE: African Americans acutely ill with asthma come to emergency departments more frequently and are admitted to hospital more often than whites but the reasons are unclear. OBJECTIVES: To determine whether such phenomena represent racial differences in attack severity or limited effectiveness of beta(2)-agonist therapy. METHODS AND MAIN RESULTS: We contrasted clinical features, airflow limitation, and albuterol responsiveness in adults acutely ill with asthma, 155 of whom where African American and 140 white, as they presented to eight emergency departments. Assessments were standardized across institutions using a care path, and admission and discharge decisions were made according to predetermined criteria. The degree of obstruction was measured by peak expiratory flow rates. The clinical features of both groups were similar. The African Americans, however, had lower flow rates (p = 0.002), and more of them experienced severe or potentially life threatening episodes (p < 0.001). Albuterol was equally efficacious in both populations and there were no differences in the post-treatment flow rates achieved irrespective of the initial attack intensity. There were no racial differences in admission/discharge ratios. CONCLUSIONS: Our data indicate that African Americans with asthma tend to present with somewhat more intense attacks than whites, but they respond equally well to routine treatment. Similarly, there were no racial disparities in hospitalizations when standard criteria are employed.