The aim of this study was to evaluate the functional capacity and the performance of respiratory and quadriceps muscles in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and relate them to nutritional status and forced expiratory volume in the first second (FEV 1). Methods: Twelve patients with moderate COPD (70±7 years, FEV 1 52±17% predicted, body mass index (BMI) 23±4kg/m 2) and seven healthy volunteers (69±8 years, FEV 1 127±12% predicted, BMI 27±3kg/m 2) were evaluated. All of them underwent body composition analysis, measurement of respiratory muscle strength (maximum inspiratory pressure, MIP, and maximum expiratory pressure, MEP), cardiorespiratory exercise test (CET) and evaluation of palm grip strength, peak torque and total work or endurance of the quadriceps femoris. Results: The patients with COPD had lower values for the free-fat mass (LBM) index (18±1 versus 21±1kg/m 2 , p≤0.05), maximum load attained in the CET (60±20 versus 102±18 watts, p≤0.01), MIP (58±19 versus 87±21cmH 2 O, p≤0.05), palm grip strength (38±6 versus 47±5kg, p≤0.05), peak torque (103±21 versus 138±18Nm, p≤0.05) and total work of the quadriceps femoris (1570±395 versus 2333±568J, p≤0.05) when compared with the control group (independent Student's t test). There was no correlation between FEV 1 and the variables studied, while the LBM correlated with the total work of the quadriceps (Pearson, r=0.6290, p≤0.05). Conclusions: These results indicate that patients with COPD show weakness of the inspiratory and quadriceps muscles and lower functional capacity, when compared with a healthy group. Moreover, they suggest that the degree of airflow obstruction is not a good predictor for quantifying the nutritional and muscle impairments in patients with COPD.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
customersupport@researchsolutions.com
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.