Critical Care Management of an Obese Asthmatic Patient: A Review

Obesity and asthma are two conditions that are considered a global health problem. There has been an increased number of obese patients and different factors contribute to the development of this disease, such as changes in lifestyle, poor physical activity, and genetics. Obesity, as a co-morbidity, could contribute to the aggravation of asthma or the progress and exacerbation. This could lead to asthma-related hospitalizations and ICU admissions. Understanding the pathophysiology of those two diseases is helpful in the decision-making process of the management. The main goal of the therapy is reducing the exacerbation symptoms and or the ICU length-stay, which could depend on the type of mechanical ventilation used on the patient.