Prospective Study of Body Mass Index, Weight Change, and Risk of Adult-onset Asthma in Women

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Abstract
ASTHMA AFFECTS at least 5% of the US population and its prevalence continues to rise.1 In 1990, the management of asthma already accounted for more than $6 billion in medical expenditures.2 Despite the enormity of the problem, there are relatively few large-scale epidemiological studies on the etiology of asthma, particularly adult-onset asthma. In recent years, investigators have begun to define genetic3 and environmental4 risk factors in the hope that timely interventions might prevent individuals from developing asthma.