PCOS, Overweight, Obesity Increase Risk for Asthma

Independent associations were found between asthma and polycystic ovary syndrome as well as overweight and obesity, according to results presented here.

“The results of this study need to be confirmed with results in other populations, and exploration of these relationships in longitudinal studies is needed,” Anju Elizabeth Joham, MBBS, FRACP, an endocrinologist and postdoctoral research fellow at Monash University in Melbourne, said in a press release.

Joham and colleagues evaluated data from the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women’s Health on the survey responses of 9,145 women aged 28 to 33 years about their PCOS and asthma status. Researchers sought to determine the prevalence of asthma and the impact of obesity on the prevalence of asthma in women with and without PCOS.

Prevalence of PCOS was 5.8%. There was a 15.2% prevalence of asthma in women with reporting PCOS compared with 10.6% of those not reporting PCOS (P = .004).

Mean BMI was significantly higher in women reporting PCOS and asthma (BMI, 29.9 kg/m2) compared with women reporting asthma but not PCOS (27.7 kg/m2; P < .001).

PCOS was associated with increased odds of asthma (OR = 1.34; 95% CI, 1.004) after adjustment for age, BMI, PCOS and smoking status on multivariable regression analysis. Increased odds of asthma were linked with BMI in the overweight (OR = 1.24; 95% CI, 1.02-1.5) and obese range (OR = 1.77; 95% CI, 1.46-2.15).

“A greater proportion of women with PCOS report asthma, and the results of this study suggest that asthma is associated with PCOS and excess weight,” Joham said in a press release. “These findings highlight that PCOS is a complex disorder that includes significant inflammatory underpinnings. These results also raise awareness of the need to consider higher risks in other health areas in this condition.” – by Amber Cox

References:
https://mdspiro.com 
http://www.healio.com/endocrinology/reproduction-androgen-disorders/news/online/%7B1568e866-b1b8-4aaa-bb4d-934ee12fb6d0%7D/pcos-overweight-obesity-increase-risk-for-asthma 
http://www.healio.com/endocrinology/reproduction-androgen-disorders/news/online/%7Ba685adbd-3aeb-429c-8c87-b31ba80deff4%7D/cvd-risk-higher-for-women-aged-at-least-30-years-with-pcos
http://www.healio.com/allergy-immunology/asthma-lower-airway-diseases/news/online/%7B513d2e64-ab31-458b-8321-47e86ef77a2a%7D/prenatal-exposure-to-bpa-associated-with-pediatric-wheeze 
Joham AE, et al. Poster SAT 186. Presented at: The Endocrine Society Annual Meeting; April 1-4, 2016; Boston.