[Relationship between body mass index and asthma severity in adults].

OBJECTIVE Elevated values of body mass index (BMI) have been associated with higher prevalence of asthma in adults. The aim of the present study is to evaluate the association between obesity and asthma severity. METHODS Medical records of two hundred patients older than 20 years of age were evaluated retrospectively. Asthma severity was established after the evaluation of the medical history and diagnosis recorded, spirometry results and the medicines prescribed. BMI was calculated and patients were classified as obese when the BMI was > 30 kg/m(2). RESULTS 23% of the patients presented intermittent asthma, 25.5% presented mild persistent asthma, 24% presented moderate persistent asthma, and 27.5% presented severe persistent asthma. Values of BMI < or = 29.9 kg/m(2) were observed in 68% of the patients and in 32% the BMI was > or = 30 kg/m(2). The odds ratio of the correlation between obesity and asthma severity was 1.17 (95% CI: 0.90-1.53; p > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS In the sample evaluated in this study no correlation between obesity and asthma severity was found for either gender.