In this book, the editors aim to review the impact of obesity on respiratory diseases from both a physiopathological and a clinical point of view. The editors wanted to put together a resource for clinicians and scientists involved in the care and evaluation of pulmonary, critical care and sleep disorders in the 21st century, and I personally think they have reached their goal brilliantly.
The topic is undoubtedly of key importance. Four main reasons justify why we are asked to implement our knowledge in this field: 1) overweight and obesity represent a rapidly growing threat to the health of populations in an increasing number of countries; 2) their prevalence is likely to continue to increase in the coming decades; 3) this epidemic affects children, with data showing that childhood obesity has almost tripled over the past two decades; and 4) obesity and obesity-related diseases contribute to a significant increase of indirect costs.
This book provides insights on the impact of obesity on lung function, airway responsiveness and the immune system, and provides a pragmatic approach for the diagnosis and management of lung diseases associated with obesity. The book is composed of 12 didactic and informative chapters, with clear objectives at the beginning and updated references at the end. The main topics include the evaluation of the impact of obesity on obstructive sleep apnoea and hypoventilation syndrome, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, pulmonary hypertension, lung injury and mechanical ventilation. The final chapter is also dedicated to the evaluation of obese children and adolescents and, in particular, those affected by asthma. All the chapters are written by key opinion leaders and the contents is appropriate for both respiratory physicians and internists (even the first three reviews mainly focused on physiology).
I think it is unfortunate that just two of the 22 contributors are from Europe, with a slight preference towards American standard operating procedures. Furthermore, we all know that smoking and obesity are leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide and that their co-occurrence has substantial consequences for health. In the context of the worldwide obesity epidemic and a high prevalence of smoking, the relationship between smoking, obesity and associated conditions has major relevance in public health. In light of these data, I would like to have seen attention devoted to the relationship between these two risk factors for lung diseases.
I have really enjoyed reading this book and I personally think that its strength relies on a concise format, an appealing style and clear messages, with graphs and illustrations present in most of the chapters. I highly recommend it to any respiratory physician and I think it will serve also as an excellent initial resource for scientists when searching for information on this topic.
- ©ERS 2014
