Adult-onset asthma closely linked with metabolic syndrome incidence

Adult-onset asthma (AOA) was shown to be connected with the metabolic syndrome (MetS) and its accompanying pro-inflammatory endocrine and cytokine state in a new study undertaken by Geertje M. de Boer and colleagues.

The findings of this study were published in the Journal of Respiratory Medicine on 10th September, 2021.

AOA is frequently more severe than childhood asthma (CoA). Given the growing evidence that AoA is linked to obesity, researchers in this study looked at the connection of other relevant metabolic comorbid disorders with AoA vs CoA.

The metabolic syndrome and lipid-derived inflammatory markers were compared in patients with AoA, CoA, and age- and sex-matched control people without asthma in this cross-sectional investigation. Asthmatic patients visiting the outpatient clinics of two teaching hospitals in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, took part in the study. Lung function tests, blood testing, and physical activity tracking were performed on all individuals. Asthma age of onset after the age of 18 years was classified as AoA. The international joint interim statement criteria were used to define metabolic syndrome.

The key findings of this study are as follow:

1. There were 81 competitors in all (27 AoA, 25 CoA, 29 controls). AoA was linked to the metabolic syndrome (Odds Ratio = 3.64 95% CI (1.16–11.42) p = 0.03, Nagelkerke R2 = 0.26), even after controlling for age, gender, BMI, and smoking behaviours.

2. When compared to controls, AoA patients exhibited higher median serum IL-6 and leptin-adiponectin (LA) ratios (IL-6 (pg/mL): 3.10 [1.11–4.30] vs. 1.13 [0.72–1.58], p = 0.002 ; LA ratio (pg/mL): 6.21 [2.45–14.11] vs. 2.24 [0.67–4.71], p = 0.0390).

3. This was not seen in the CoA or the controls.

In conclusion, this study's findings suggest that MetS, regardless of BMI, may be linked to AoA. Researchers believe that inflammatory markers generated from adipose tissue, which are produced in adipose tissue, contribute to the immunopathology of AoA. MetS, not just obesity, should be considered a significant therapeutic feature in AoA.

Reference:

de Boer, G. M., Tramper-Stranders, G. A., Houweling, L., van Zelst, C. M., Pouw, N., Verhoeven, G. T., Boxma-de Klerk, B. M., in 't Veen, J. C. C. M., van Rossum, E. F. C., Hendriks, R. W., & Braunstahl, G.-J. (2021). Adult but not childhood onset asthma is associated with the metabolic syndrome, independent from body mass index. In Respiratory Medicine (Vol. 188, p. 106603). Elsevier BV. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rmed.2021.106603