ABSTRACT
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and obesity are major causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide and, according to current data, the global burden of these conditions will increase further. Obesity plays a major role in the development of the metabolic syndrome and has been identified as an important risk factor for chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular disease. Adiposity is associated with insulin resistance even over relatively normal ranges of body fatness. There is strong evidence that altered adipose tissue function plays a crucial role in the pathogenesis of obesity-related insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes, as has recently been reviewed. Obesity is linked to respiratory diseases such as obstructive sleep apnea syndrome and obesity hypoventilation syndrome and accumulating evidence suggests an association between obesity and asthma. A potential link between obesity and COPD is also increasingly recognized although little data is known about the mechanisms underlying this association. The inflammatory and metabolic profile differs between obese with COPD and normo or underweight with COPD in part due to dysfunction of adipose tissue.
