THE EFFECTS OF OBESITY

Hello guys….

For this moment we would like to share with all of you information by PubMed Central about the 2 main  bad effect of obesity for our health.

This issue must be taken seriously because it can cause death.

The effect on respiratory function

Fat tissue accumulation impairs ventilatory function in adults  and children. Increasing BMI is typically associated with a reduction in forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV₁), forced vital capacity (FVC), total lung capacity, functional residual capacity and expiratory reserve volume. Thoracic restriction associated with obesity is usually mild and is attributed to the mechanical effects of fat on the diaphragm and the chest wall: diaphragm excursion is impeded and thoracic compliance reduced

Obesity increases the work of breathing because of the reductions in both chest wall compliance and respiratory muscle strength. This creates an imbalance between the demand on the respiratory muscles and their capacity to generate tension, which leads to the perception of increased breathing effort

Asthma

Asthma, a chronic inflammatory disorder of airways, is associated with reversible airway obstruction and increased airway responsiveness to a variety of stimuli. However, longstanding asthma can also lead to airflow limitation that is not fully reversible. The presence of atopy, a greater reversibility of the airflow limitation after inhalation of β₂-agonists, and smoking history are helpful in differentiating asthma from COPD.

Obesity was shown to be epidemiologically associated with respiratory symptoms in the 1980s.  Although parallel increases in the prevalence of obesity and asthma in Western countries have been reported, it remains to be determined whether this association is causal or by chance.  Although obesity may simply be a marker of recently adopted lifestyle habits also associated with asthma, several specific mechanisms can be proposed for their association and it is now recognized that a causal relation may exist between them. The association between asthma and obesity is particularly worrisome in children. The obesity epidemic may lead to an increase in the number of young adults with severe asthma since obesity is a predictor of unremitting asthma after puberty and worse asthma control.