Obesity Surgery 1999; 9: 385-389
Dixon JB, Chapman L, O'Brian P.
Asthma and obesity are common chronic conditions that may be related. Laparoscopic banding provides effective weight control for patients with morbid obesity and it may, therefore, provide an additional benefit in terms of reduction in the severity and frequency of asthmatic symptoms.
In this study, asthmatic symptoms were assessed pre-operatively in all patients undergoing gastric banding. The prevalence of asthma was 24.6% (73 of 296 consecutive patients), which was considerably higher than in the general population (around 12%).
A total of 32 patients were followed up and all 32 patients recorded lower asthmatic scores after morbid obesity surgery. There were significant improvements in all aspects of asthma, including severity; daily impact; amount of medication needed; frequency of hospital admission and physical activity.
The authors conclude that there is a strong association between obesity and asthma, but that weight loss followng lap banding is associated with a marked improvement in asthmatic symptoms.
