Children who are overweight or obese are at an increased risk of developing asthma, a new study indicates.

Asthma is a very common inflammatory lung disease affecting around 470,000 people in Ireland, including one child in every five.

According to US scientists, despite the prevalence of asthma, the link between the condition and obesity is not well understood. They decided to investigate this further.

They examined the health records of over 620,000 young people aged between six and 19.

The study found that children who were overweight were 1.16 times more likely to develop asthma than children of a normal weight. Children who were moderately obese were 1.23 times more likely to develop the lung condition, while those who were extremely obese were 1.37 times more likely to develop it.

The link between asthma and obesity was strongest in young girls aged between six and 10.

Meanwhile the scientists also found that among young people who had developed asthma, those who were moderately or extremely obese ‘had more frequent asthma exacerbations requiring emergency department services and/or treatment with oral corticosteroids'.

"Obese youth are not only more likely to develop asthma, but they may be more likely to have severe asthma, resulting in a greater need for health care utilisation and aggressive asthma treatment," the team from California said.

Details of these findings are published in the American Journal of Epidemiology.

For more information on asthma, see our Asthma Clinic here