Lars Andersson, PhD: Identifying Mediators in Asthma and COPD Patients

It has become increasingly important to consider the influence of sex and age on adipokine biomarkers for obese-related asthma.

Recently, in a paper presented at the European Respiratory Society International Congress 2020 (ERS 2020), researchers found adiponectin and leptin were significantly different between men and women, with higher levels found in female patients.

The researchers found inflamed adipose tissue releases adipokines with metabolic, pro- or anti-inflammatory activities ultimately contributing to the pathophysiology. A similar role of adipokines in COPD disease pathway has been proposed.

However, the impact of sex and age on circulating adipokines was previously unclear.

In the study, the team, led by Lars L. Andersson, PhD, Karolinska Institute, examined the influence of sex and age on plasma levels of 9 adipokines.

The study included 55 patients with mild to moderate asthma, 72 patients with severe asthma, and 41 patients with COPD. Overall, the researchers found both adiponectin and leptin were highly affected by body mass index (BMI).

In a subgroup analysis, they found the difference in adiponectin between women and men was smaller in lean patients, while the difference in leptin was smaller in obese patients.

In an interview with HCPLive®, Andersson explained how the study could result in better patient care.