Association of obesity-related inflammatory pathways with lung function and exercise capacity.

McNeill JN; Lau ES; Zern EK; Nayor M; Malhotra R; Liu EE; Bhat RR; Brooks LC; Farrell R; Sbarbaro JA;
Schoenike MW; Medoff BD; Lewis GD; Ho JE;

Respiratory medicine [Respir Med] 2021 Apr 30; Vol. 183, pp. 106434. Date of Electronic Publication: 2021 Apr 30.

Background: Obesity has multifactorial effects on lung function and exercise capacity. The contributions of obesity-related inflammatory pathways to alterations in lung function remain unclear.
Research Question: To examine the association of obesity-related inflammatory pathways with pulmonary function, exercise capacity, and pulmonary-specific contributors to exercise intolerance.
Method: We examined 695 patients who underwent cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) with invasive hemodynamic monitoring at Massachusetts General Hospital between December 2006-June 2017. We investigated the association of adiponectin, leptin, resistin, IL-6, CRP, and insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) with pulmonary function and exercise parameters using multivariable linear regression.
Results: Obesity-related inflammatory pathways were associated with worse lung function. Specifically, higher CRP, IL-6, and HOMA-IR were associated with lower percent predicted FEV 1 and FVC with a preserved FEV 1 /FVC ratio suggesting a restrictive physiology pattern (P ≤ 0.001 for all). For example, a 1-SD higher natural-logged CRP level was associated with a nearly 5% lower percent predicted FEV 1 and FVC (beta -4.8, s.e. 0.9 for FEV1; beta -4.9, s.e. 0.8 for FVC; P < 0.0001 for both). Obesity-related inflammatory pathways were associated with worse pulmonary vascular distensibility (adiponectin, IL-6, and CRP, P < 0.05 for all), as well as lower pulmonary artery compliance (IL-6 and CRP, P ≤ 0.01 for both).
Interpretation: Our findings highlight the importance of obesity-related inflammatory pathways including inflammation and insulin resistance on pulmonary spirometry and pulmonary vascular function. Specifically, systemic inflammation as ascertained by CRP, IL-6 and insulin resistance are associated with restrictive pulmonary physiology independent of BMI. In addition, inflammatory markers were associated with lower exercise capacity and pulmonary vascular dysfunction.