Dramatic impact of morbid obesity on child lung development

Abstract Objective To assess the respiratory function and sleep characteristics of obese adults and children. Methods All patients with non-syndromic, severe obesity (BMI ≥ 3 z-scores for children and ≥ 40.00 kg/m2 for adults), referred for pulmonary function tests at Lille University Hospital, were retrospectively included. Results A total of 69 children (mean ± SD BMI 36.8 ± 6.7 and mean BMI z-score 4.7 ± 1.0) and 70 adults were included (mean BMI 45.7 ± 6.2). Metabolic syndrome was diagnosed in 13 children (26%) and 40 adults (80%). Reduced lung volumes were observed in 34 children (50.0%) and 16 adults (24.0%) and both the mean functional residual capacity (FRC) and the mean residual volume (RV) were lower in children than in adults (FRC: −1.7 ± 2.1 z-score in children vs. −1.0 ± 1.1 in adults, P = 0.026; and RV: −0.8 ± 1.2 z-score in children vs. −0.1 ± 1.1 in adults, P = 0.002). The prevalence of severe obstructive sleep apnea syndrome was greater in adults (40.7% vs. 18.8%, P = 0.007). Children had a higher average oxygen saturation (median of 96.0% [91.0–98.0] vs. 93.0% [76.0–97.0] in adults, P  Conclusion Obesity has consequences for lung volumes in children; however, a longitudinal study is needed to determine the impact on pulmonary expansion and growth.