Proinflammatory pattern in the lower airways of non-asthmatic obese adolescents

Background: Obesity is known to be a pro-inflammatory condition affecting multiple organs. Obesity as a systemic pro-inflammatory state, might be associated with bronchial inflammation in non-smoking adolescents with a BMI >= 30 kg/m2 without evidence of concomitant chronic diseases.Materials and methods: We studied non-asthmatic obese patients (n = 20; median age 15.8 years; BMI 35.0 kg/m2) compared to age matched healthy control subjects (n = 20; median age 17.5 years; BMI 21.5 kg/m2). Induced sputum differential cell counts and sputum mRNA levels were assessed for all study subjects. Serum levels of CRP, IL-6, and IL-8 were measured. Further, IL-5, IL-6, IL-8, IL-13, IL-17, TNF-alpha, IFN-gamma, and IP-10 protein levels were analyzed in induced sputum was.Results: Serum CRP levels, sputum inflammatory cell load and sputum eosinophils differed significantly between obese and non-obese subjects, for sputum neutrophils, a correlation was shown with BMI >= 30 kg/m2. Differ-ences were also observed for sputum mRNA expression of IL6, IL8, IL13, IL17, IL23, and IFN-gamma, as well as the transcription factors T-bet, GATA3, and FoxP3.Conclusions: Increased bronchial inflammation, triggered by systemic or local inflammatory effects of obesity itself, may account for the higher rates of airway disease in obese adolescents.