Lower limb strength and postural steadiness are related to COPD severity

Introduction: Peripheral muscle strength and postural steadiness are adversely affected in patients with COPD. It remains unknown if there is a difference in exercise capacity in patients which are in different stage of the disease. Objetive: The aim of this study was to characterize and to determine if there is any difference between physical status and the severity of the disease (GOLD III- GOLD IV) in stable COPD patients. Methods: Quadriceps strength was assessed with a hand-held dynamometer and postural steadiness was measured with one leg stance test (OLS) Results: ninety COPD patients were included in the study, fifty of them were in GOLD stage III and forty were in GOLD stage IV. Mean age was 71 years old. The results are shown in table 1: Conclusion: According to the results, postural steadiness and disease severity are strongly associated in COPD patients. These findings highlight the importance of balance assessment in COPD patients.