Malnutrition and sarcopenia assessment in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease according to international diagnostic criteria, and evaluation of raw BIA variables

Abstract Background Various criteria have been used so far for the diagnosis of malnutrition or sarcopenia in patients suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Objective To determine the prevalence of malnutrition and sarcopenia in COPD, as defined by international diagnostic criteria, and determine their relationships with raw BIA variables. Methods Two-hundred and sixty-three COPD patients (185 males and 78 females) underwent both clinical examination and respiratory, anthropometric, bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA raw variables: phase angle and impedance ratio), handgrip strength (HGS), 4 m gait speed and biochemical measurements. Malnutrition and sarcopenia were diagnosed based on European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism (ESPEN) criteria and European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People (EWGSOP) criteria, respectively. Results The overall prevalence of malnutrition and sarcopenia was 19.8% and 24.0% respectively, increasing with disease severity. The prevalence of sarcopenia was significantly higher in patients with malnutrition (71.2% vs 12.3%; p  Conclusion A relatively high prevalence of malnutrition and sarcopenia was found in COPD patients applying international standard criteria, with some discrepancy between the two diagnoses. In addition, clear-cut changes in raw BIA variables were observed in malnourished patients with systemic inflammation and sarcopenic patients.