Chronic Low-Grade Systemic Inflammation in Children with Asthma and Obesity

The rising incidence of bronchial asthma and obesity in children raises the question of whether there is a link between them. Chronic low-grade systemic inflammation could be one of the linking mechanisms. We aimed to determine the serum concentrations of high-sensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), interleukin 6 (IL-6) and tumour necrosis factor a (TNF-a) in children with asthma and obesity and to seek a relationship between these inflammatory markers and asthma control. We investigated 88 children aged 6 to 17 years - 25 asthmatic obese children (AsOb), 25 asthmatic non-obese children (AsNOb), 19 obese non-asthmatic children (ObNAs), and 19 non-obese non-asthmatic children as controls. Serum levels of IL-6 and hs-CRP were significantly increased in asthmatic obese and ObNAs compared to AsNOb and the control group. Serum TNF-a concentration was similar in the four studied groups. There were no statistically significant differences in serum levels of these inflammatory markers between controlled and partially controlled/uncontrolled asthmatics (obese and non-obese). Knowing the possible mechanisms of interaction between bronchial asthma and obesity would contribute to a more effective therapeutic approach in these patients.