Nutritional Status in Patients With Acute Exacerbation of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Nutritional Status as a Prognostic Marker of Risk and Outcome in Patients Admitted to Hospital With Acute Exacerbation of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

A cross sectional observation study of body composition in COPD patients consecutively hospitalized with acute exacerbation.

Skeletal muscle dysfunction and changes in body composition are important extra-pulmonary manifestations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) that occur in all stages of disease and are associated with poor outcome. In patients with COPD, bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) has usually been used to estimate fat-free mass (FFM) and body composition through predictive equations. Very few studies had focused on raw BIA data. The aim of this study is first describe the measurement of phase angle in patients with with acute exacerbation and second to determine the validity of phase angle in this group by assessing its relationship with established markers of function, disease severity and prognosis.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Previous diagnosis of COPD based on history
• Hospitalization with acute COPD exacerbation

Exclusion Criteria:

• Patients with history of recent surgery (major) and trauma (major)
• Patients with concomitant disease that might alter nutritional status (heart disease, cirrhosis, uncontrolled diabetes, chronic renal failure, uncontrolled cor pulmonale).
• Contraindication to BIA including an implanted pacemaker, defibrillator or joint prosthesis