Elsevier, Respiratory Medicine, 11(100), p. 1918-1924, 2006
DOI: 10.1016/j.rmed.2006.03.008
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Our study investigates nutritional status, resting energy expenditure (REE) and physical performance in elderly patients with stable COPD to identify any early conditions of hypermetabolism, malnutrition and sarcopenia. Eighty-six males (40 stable COPD and 46 healthy subjects) over 65 years old were studied. All subjects underwent spirometry, blood gas analysis and a 6-min walking test (6MWT). Fat-free mass (FFM) and appendicular skeletal muscle mass (ASMM) were measured by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA). REE was measured by indirect calorimetry. COPD patients had a lower FFM both expressed in kilograms and after correction for height squared. The prevalence of sarcopenia was higher for COPD subjects (38% vs 31%). REE, both in absolute values and adjusted for FFM was significantly higher in COPD patients. Hypermetabolism was found in 60% of COPD cases and 13.7% (P