Asthma and obesity are becoming more and more common in Western society, and doctors and researchers have long suspected that there is a relationship between the two diseases. Medical experts have also known for some time that, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is more common in both asthmatics and the obese, but the reasons – and which disorder might have a hand in the onset of the others – were not clear. Now, thanks to the work of researchers at the Department of Medical Sciences: Respiratory Medicine and Allergology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden, there is evidence that might help to explain how this triad of health problems is related, ending a chicken-or-egg debate that has intensified as instances of each of these three separate health problems have increased.
Maria Gunnbjornsdottir and her research team looks at the results of a questionnaire study answered by 16,000 adults from Northern Europe, and found that there was a relationship between obesity and nighttime GERD and the onset of asthma and other respiratory symptoms.
Namely, after the researchers adjusted their findings to accurately take into account other risk factors – such as smoking, gender, and underlying disorders or behaviors – they found that patients who either were obese or were nighttime GERD sufferers were more likely to develop asthma.
This is good news for patients suffering from either obesity or GERD in conjunction with asthma, because it means that by effectively treating on condition, they stand a chance of eliminating both. Also, controlling obesity and GERD can prevent a host of other health concerns, such as heart problems, certain cancers, and impaired respiratory function.
