Nutritional status in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

: The authors examined the nutritional status of 50 patients admitted on account of exacerbation of chronic obstructive lung disease. The mean height of patients was 168 +/- 8.8 cm, the body weight 72.2 +/- 16.2 kg, BMI 25.5 +/- 5.5 kg/m2. The mean albumin concentration was 33.1 +/- 4.6 g/l, transferrin 2.3 +/- 0.6 g/l, the skinfold thickness 17.3 +/- 9.9 mm, arm circumference 28.6 +/- 7.2 cm. The mean energy expenditure at rest (REE) was 122.1 +/- 12.3%. The total number of undernourished patients was 7 (14%), there were 27 obese patients (54%). The authors did not find a relationship between respiratory parameters and values of blood gases on the one hand and body weight, skinfold thickness, BMI, REE, arm circumference, albumin, transferrin and the number of lymphocytes on the other hand. This is obviously due to the fact that the group comprised more obese than undernourished patients. Obese and undernourished patients were found in all three stages of the disease.