Association of higher adiposity and wheezing in infants with lower respiratory illnesses

Abstract

Aim: The incidences of asthma and obesity have been steadily increasing over the past two decades, with several studies showing a relationship between these conditions. We investigated the influence of higher weight for height (WFH) Z-score on wheezing in infants with lower respiratory tract infections (LRTI).

Methods: We reviewed the medical charts of all infants younger than l year of age who were admitted with the first episode of LRTI between 2000 and 2008. Subjects were classified into six groups according to WFH Z-score.

Results: Wheezing was more frequent in infants with higher WFH Z-scores. Especially, wheezing infants aged 3-6 months and 6-9 months had significantly higher WFH Z-scores than had their non-wheezing counterparts (p = 0.05 and p < 0.01 respectively). Multivariate logistic regression showed that age (OR = 0.76, p < 0.001), male gender (OR = 1.61, p = 0.005) and WFH Z-score (OR = 1.12, p = 0.007) were independently associated with wheezing.

Conclusion: In this study we could show that a higher WFH Z-score was independently associated with wheezing in infancy. Attainment of appropriate weight for age may reduce the risk of wheezing in infants with respiratory diseases.