Abstract
The importance of obesity on cardiovascular and metabolic diseases is widely known by both health professionals and the public. Over the last few years, the influence of obesity on lung diseases has been increasingly recognised. Sleep clinics and ventilation services are expanding faster than patients’ waists, whilst patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in clinic are more commonly ‘blue bloaters’ rather than ‘pink puffers’. Therefore, this book, part of the respiratory medicine series, provides a timely review.
Obesity and Lung Disease is a 240 page, A5 size book that provides reviews in many of the different respiratory diseases that are affected by obesity. The first three chapters concentrate on the effects that obesity has on the lungs in general (lung function, airways response, and immune response), before differentiating into several other diseases. Here we see the effects of obesity as a cause of disease (obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) and obesity hypoventilation syndrome), as a co-morbidity for chronic disease (asthma and COPD), and on acute lung injury and mechanical ventilation.
By covering many aspects of obesity and lung disease, it provides an excellent overview of the issues and a useful reference tool, particularly its effects on lung function and airways disease. Also interesting to the respiratory audience, though well known by diabetologists, is the consideration of adipose tissue as an ‘immune active’, pro-inflammatory tissue in its own right.
Each chapter has been written by separate authors. This provides expert opinion for the diverse subjects, but does mean there is some repetition in themes throughout. Also, it should be highlighted that this is an overview of obesity and lung disease for a general respiratory audience and not an extensive text of OSA or obesity hypoventilation syndrome.
Overall, Obesity and Lung Disease is an excellent review of a problem that spans multiple respiratory diseases and that is becoming more prevalent. This provides a concise reference book.