Role of Gender Disparity of Circulating High-sensitivity C-reactive Protein Concentrations and Obesity on Asthma in Taiwan

Background: Several studies have suggested that the association between obesity and asthma may be stronger in females than in males, but the reason is still unclear.

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate whether differences in high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) levels explain why obesity is associated with asthma in females but not in males.

Methods: This study prospectively enrolled 754 subjects ≥ 18 years old from hospital-based asthma patients and population-based controls. We measured adiposity factors [body mass index (BMI), waist circumference and waist-hip ratio], hs-CRP and total IgE levels.

Results: After adjusting for potential confounding factors, we found a significant association between BMI and asthma in females with a significant interaction of gender and BMI on asthma (χ(2) =10.2, P=0.004). If hs-CRP was added to the logistic model, the interaction was attenuated but still significant (χ(2) =7.02, P=0.03). After adjusting for BMI, we did not find that circulating hs-CRP concentrations were significantly associated with asthma in males and females.

Conclusion: We found that BMI was associated with asthma in females, but our results do not support the suggestion that hs-CRP levels contribute significantly to the link between obesity and asthma with respect to gender disparity.