Reduced calf circumference is an independent predictor of worse quality of life, severity of disease, frequent exacerbation, and death in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease admitted to a pulmonary rehabilitation program: A historic cohort study.

Background: Muscle wasting is associated with worse outcomes in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients. We assessed the association of calf circumference (CC) measurements with clinical outcomes in COPD patients referred to an outpatient pulmonary rehabilitation program (PRP).

Methods: In this single-center, retrospective study, we analyzed demographic and clinical data ( spirometry tests, comorbidities, COPD exacerbations, dyspnea scoring, exercise capacity, quality-of-life scores, BMI, CC measurements, and all-cause deaths [for 2 years]) from COPD patients PRP medical records.

Influence of pulmonary rehabilitation in patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease exacerbator phenotype.

Objective To verify if there are differences in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) patient exacerbator and non-exacerbator phenotypes undergoing a Pulmonary Rehabilitation Program (PRP). Methods A real life retrospective study included outpatients with COPD from public primary care who completed a 12-weeks PRP, three times a week. All were assessed before and after PRP using the six-minute walk test (6MWT), the modified Medical Research Council (mMRC) dyspnea index, quality of life and Body-mass Index, airflow Obstruction, Dyspnea and Exercise (BODE index).

The relationship between fat-free mass index and pulmonary hyperinflation in COPD patients.

Background And Objective: Reduced fat-free mass (FFM), a common finding in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), may indirectly impact peak exercise capacity through a greater level of pulmonary hyperinflation. We aimed to investigate if FFM index (FFM/squared height) impacts exercise induced dynamic hyperinflation in COPD patients.

Methods: Fifty-four patients with moderate-to-very severe COPD performed a symptom limited incremental cardiopulmonary exercise tests with serial measurements of inspiratory capacity (IC).

Effectiveness of pulmonary rehabilitation in exercise capacity and quality of life in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients with and without global fat-free mass depletion.

Objective: To investigate the effectiveness of pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) in exercise capacity and quality of life in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) with and without global fat-free mass (FFM) depletion.

Design: Retrospective case-control.

Setting: Outpatient clinic, university center.

DNA damage in peripheral blood of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a condition characterized by chronic airway inflammation and remodeling, lung parenchymal inflammation, and destruction resulting in expiratory airflow obstruction, hyperinflation of the lung with loss of elastic recoil, and impairment of gas exchange. Skeletal muscles in individuals with COPD generate free radicals at rest, and production increases during contractile activity. Overproduction of free radicals may result in oxidant-antioxidant imbalance in favor of oxidants.

Six-minute walk work is not correlated to the degree of airflow obstruction in patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD).

Introduction: The six-minute walking test distance, despite being considered the main parameter, does not consider body weight which is known to influence exercise capacity. A body of evidence shows the degree of airflow obstruction does not correlate to walking distance and the body weight affects the work/energy required to perform the walk.

Objective: To verify if the degree of airflow obstruction correlates to six-minute walk work obtained by weight-walking distance product.