Child depression: a risk factor for asthma and obesity in adulthood

Young adults with asthma appear to be at increased risk of obesity in adulthood and child depression risk could explain this correlation, according to Swiss researchers.

Dr. Gregor Hasler, University Hospital of Zurich and colleagues asked 591 men and women on their health during their follow-up between 20 and 40 years. They found that those of them in whom asthma symptoms were observed when they were 20 years old had a three-fold increased risk of obesity at age 40, compared with those who were not suffering from asthma.

Several studies have suggested that obesity increases the risk of asthma, but some scientists believe that this relationship may be valid in the other direction.

In fact, Swiss authors found no evidence to suggest that obesity in early adulthood was a risk factor for asthma later in life. This result is unexpected, according to scientists, since other studies have demonstrated the existence of such a correlation.

The exact reason why asthma may contribute to excessive weight gain remains unclear. Some prescribed asthma drugs may promote weight gain, according to the authors, who report their findings in the journal "International Journal of Obesity", but their lack of information on the type of study prescribed medications participants with asthma .

People with asthma may also be less likely to play sports. However, the activity level of the participants evaluated twice when they were about twenty years, does not seem sufficient to explain the correlation between asthma and obesity.

However, a history of depressive symptoms during childhood or adolescence have to explain much of the relationship between asthma and obesity, the researchers say.

The link between these three diseases remains unclear. The depression may be an early marker of a stressful family life, advance Dr. Hasler. Or, some genes may be a common susceptibility to the three diseases. For example, all these diseases share a common characteristic:

systemic inflammation. Genes regulating the immune system may therefore contribute to both depression, asthma and obesity.

The researchers hope that further studies will clarify the relationship between these pathologies.