LAUSR

Background: Obesity is associated with reduced forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) and forced vital capacity (FVC). The effect is stronger on FVC than FEV1 resulting in preserved FEV1/FVC ratio. Aim: We hypothesized that obesity may obscure a diagnosis of airway obstruction, and aimed to assess the prevalence of obstructive pulmonary symptoms in obese and non-obese persons with preserved FEV1/FVC ratio. Methods: The Akershus Cardiac Examination (ACE) 1950 Study included 3706 inhabitants in Akershus County born in 1950. The Global Lung Initiative 2012 reference equations were used to define lower limits of normal lung function for spirometry data. Obesity was defined as body mass index (BMI) ≥ 30. We used STATA to perform group comparisons of lung function and pulmonary symptoms. Results: Results are presented in table 1. Obese participants had lower lung function, more dyspnea, cough, sputum and exacerbations than the non-obese group. Conclusion: Obesity is associated with lower lung function and increased burden of obstructive pulmonary symptoms despite preserved FEV1/FVC.