A comparative study of clinical profile and symptom control in overweight and normal weight school‐age children with mild persistent asthma

Objectives To find out the proportion of children with poor symptom control in overweight/obese and normal weight children with mild persistent asthma and to know the sociodemographic and clinical correlates of poor symptom control in them. Materials and Methods Children aged 6 to 12 years with mild persistent asthma with BMI Z score for age and sex more than +1 Z score on WHO BMI Z score chart for age and sex formed the cases. Age‐ and sex‐matched asthmatics with BMI Z score for age and sex between −2 Z and +1 Z score formed the controls. FEV1, FEV1/FVC were measured in both groups using Care Fusion Jaeger spirometer. Symptom control was assessed by ACT score. Statistical analysis was done using SPSS version 19 and Vassarstats. Results The proportion of children with poor control was 19.1% in the overweight/obese group and 23.4% in the normal weight group. There was no significant correlation between BMI and symptom control as assessed by the ACT score. Overweight/obese children with good control showed a slightly lower FEV1/FVC ratio and higher median eosinophil count compared to children with normal weight. Gastroesophageal reflux and allergic rhinitis were more commonly seen in overweight/obese children. In the poor control group, FEV1, FEV1/FVC, and median eosinophil counts were not significantly different between overweight/obese and normal weight group but were less when compared to good control group. Conclusion The proportion of poor symptom control was not high in overweight/obese asthmatic children compared to normal weight asthmatic children. No significant risk factors for poor symptom control could be identified in our study for either of the groups.