Early Childhood BMI Changes may increase non allergic Asthma Risk among boys: Study

From children born in 2001 (n = 47,015), we divided participants into BMI quartiles (Q1, Q2, Q3, and Q4) and the following BMI categories: Q1Q1 (i.e., Q1 at birth and Q1 at age 7), Q1Q4, Q4Q1, Q4Q4, and others. Asthma history from ages 7 to 8 was analyzed, with bronchial asthma (BA) further categorized as allergic asthma (AA) or nonallergic asthma (NA) based on the presence of other allergic diseases. Using logistic regression, we estimated the asthma odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for each BMI category. Results: Q1Q4 showed significantly higher risks of BA, AA, and NA.

In boys, BA and NA risks were significantly higher in Q1Q4 (adjusted OR: 1.47 [95% CI: 1.17–1.85], at 1.56 [95% CI: 1.16–2.1]), with no significant difference in AA risk. In girls, no increased asthma risk was observed in Q1Q4, but AA risk was significantly higher in Q4Q4 (adjusted OR: 1.78 [95% CI: 1.21–2.6]). The results demonstrated that BMI changes during early childhood impact asthma risks, particularly that the risk of NA in boys increases with BMI changes during early childhood, and the risk of AA in girls increases with consistently high BMI.

Reference:

Yabuuchi T, Ikeda M, Matsumoto N, Tsuge M, Yorifuji T, Tsukahara H. Changes in body mass index during early childhood on school-age asthma prevalence classified by phenotypes and sex. Pediatr Int. 2025 Jan-Dec;67(1):e70090. doi: 10.1111/ped.70090. PMID: 40457851; PMCID: PMC12130911.