The Effect of Obesity on Lung Functioning

Inclusion Criteria:

• Adults (≥18yr) who report a physician's diagnosis of asthma and have taken any asthma medication within the last 2 weeks.
• Obesity (Body Mass Index (BMI) ≥40, or ≥35 with comorbidities, as per published guidelines for qualification for bariatric surgery).
• Planned weight-loss surgery or structured weight-loss plan.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Tobacco use within one month.
• Qualifying lung-functioning.
• Qualifying oxygen saturation levels.
• Use of systemic corticosteroids (Prednisone) within one month.
• Presence of another chronic lung disease besides asthma (COPD, bronchiectasis, ILD, sarcoidosis, etc).
• Presence of another chronic systemic inflammatory disease (rheumatoid arthritis or other connective-tissue disease, chronic infection such as osteomyelitis, inflammatory bowel disease, chronic active hepatitis, etc). Subjects with osteoarthritis, stable coronary artery disease, hypertension, or diabetes mellitus will not be excluded.
• Presence of malignant neoplasm within the last 3 years (with the exception of non-melanoma skin cancer).
• Clinically significant left or right ventricular dysfunction.
• Severe pulmonary hypertension (high blood pressure).
• Untreated obstructive sleep apnea:
• Subjects with a current diagnosis of sleep apnea not being treated with CPAP or BiPAP will be excluded.
• Subjects with a current diagnosis of sleep apnea being treated adequately (as determined by the investigators) will be included.
• Prader-Willi syndrome
• A known endocrinopathy causing obesity (e.g., Cushing's Syndrome).