People who are obese and also have asthma are almost five times likelier to be hospitalised for the condition than those who have it but are not obese, a study has suggested.

Carried out by staff at the the Kaiser Permanente Centre for Health Research, which was founded in the USA in 1964, and published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, the investigation surveyed a total of 1,113 people over the age of 35 with persistent asthma.

The participants were asked about their weight, height asthma control, other illnesses, treatment, asthma-related hospitalisations and quality of life relating to the condition.

Dr David Mosen, lead author of the study, said: "The big finding here is that even after adjusting for risk factors, obese adults were nearly five times more likely to be hospitalised for their asthma."

He adds that the study is another example of the long-term dangers of obesity.

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