Research
Hormonal
Obesity reduces the accuracy of standard asthma biomarkers (FeNO, IgE, eosinophils), potentially leading to misclassification of asthma phenotype and inappropriate biologic eligibility.
If you have obesity, your standard asthma tests (FeNO, IgE) might look lower than they actually are. This doesn't mean your asthma is mild. Doctors should interpret these tests with caution in obese patients and focus on symptom control and quality of life.
GoodQualifiesHIGH confidence
Evidence suggests that obesity may have direct effects on these biomarkers, and this has implications for accuracy of phenotyping and determination of suitability for currently available biologic treatments... FeNO levels were reduced in obese-asthma and... IgE levels were also reduced in this group compared to their healthy BMI counterparts.
Why this rating
Supported by multi-centre studies and prospective studies.
Source
Obesity, Inflammation, and Severe Asthma: an Update
Varun Sharma et al. · Current Allergy and Asthma Reports · 2021
DOI 10.1007/s11882-021-01024-9
narrative_reviewCited 109×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
More from this paper
- Obesity negatively impacts asthma outcomes and has a causal link in the pathogenesis of adult-onset asthma, primarily through a pro-inflammatory state driven by an imbalance in the adipose organ.Good
- Bariatric surgery and significant weight loss (>5%) improve asthma control, quality of life, and reduce systemic/airway inflammation in obese asthma patients.Good
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