Respiratory burden in obese and young asthmatics: a study of diaphragmatic kinetics

Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the diaphragm kinetics, respiratory function, and serum dosage of leptin and inflammatory cytokines (IL-6 and TNF-alpha) in three clinical groups: obese, asthmatic, and healthy. Methods: This is a clinical exploratory study performed on 73 youths (12-24 years of age, 42.5% male) allocated into three groups: obesity (OG, n=33), body mass index (BMIz- score) = +2, asthmatic (AG, n=26) controlled mild asthmatics, classified by GINA, and Healthy Control Group (CG, n=14). The participants were subjected to diaphragmatic ultrasound, spirometry, maximal respiratory pressure, serum leptin levels, and IL-6 and TNF-alpha whole blood cell culture levels. Results: D iaphragm t hickness w as h igher i n O G i n c omparison t o AG and CG (2.0 +/- 0.4 vs 1.7 +/- 0.5 and 1.6 +/- 0.2, both with p