Clinical management of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and asthma in an obese patient.

The prevalence of obesity has noticeably increased worldwide. The clinician is now frequently facing the challenge of managing patients with concomitant chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or asthma and obesity. Obesity is often associated with a poorer control of these chronic respiratory diseases and the optimal management of these conditions in the presence of obesity remains to be determined. Herein, the authors review the present understanding of the influence of obesity in the development, clinical manifestations and management of asthma and COPD. The influence of weight loss, response to present therapies as well as new targets for the treatment of COPD and asthma in obese subjects are also discussed, in addition to future directions for research.