The more patients with COPD eat, the thinner they get, how to measure the change in body composition caused by malnutrition?

Multiple studies have found that the prevalence of malnutrition in patients with COPD is 20-60%. Through observation, we will find that in addition to the cough, sputum and wheezing common in the respiratory system, PATIENTS often have no appetite, do not absorb anything, and lose weight day by day. Dr. Wang He of the Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine of Beijing Hospital said that COPD patients with combined nutritional problems seriously affect their quality of life and prognosis, and wasting is known to be an independent risk factor for the prognosis of COPD and the increase in mortality.

Why do COPD patients get thinner and thinner? What changes in body composition after malnutrition?

Dr. Wang He explained that due to the impact of COPD disease, it will lead to an increase in patients' energy consumption and decreased intake, and there will be a situation where energy cannot make ends meet. Most commonly, patients with dyspnea not only need to consume more energy, but also affect the patient's appetite, resulting in reduced intake, and patients often have hypercapnia and hypoxemia because of COPD, which affects the normal physiological function of the gastrointestinal tract. Eventually, it leads to metabolic abnormalities in the body's adipose tissue, muscle tissue, bone tissue, etc., which is manifested as decreased function and inability to meet normal physiological needs.

The details are as follows:

Fat and malnourished? How to self-test the decrease in muscle strength caused by sarcopenia?

COPD patients can not be too thin, then is it okay to be fat? Not really. Dr. Wang He said that due to abnormal metabolism, in addition to emaciated patients, there are also many patients with normal weight and obesity of COPD in the clinic, but he is also malnourished. For COPD patients, in addition to the intuitive fat and thin, the decrease in muscle and the decline in muscle strength should be more vigilant.

Sarcopenia ("sarcopenia") is a syndrome in which progressive, generalized skeletal muscle mass, muscle strength, and function decline occur over age that leads to adverse outcomes such as disability, decreased quality of life, or death. However, many patients with chronic diseases, such as COPD patients, often coexist with sarcopenia due to disease consumption, lack of nutrition and exercise, and advanced age.

Sarcopenia not only leads to a decrease in exercise tolerance and quality of life in PATIENTS, but also to deterioration of lung function in PATIENTS, with weakness, tendency to fall, difficulty walking, slow gait, slender limbs and weakness, but also closely related to the deterioration of lung function in PATIENTS.

Wang and the doctor also recommended two ways to test muscle function at home, let's take a look at it together:

30-second sit-up experiment:

Objective: To assess lower extremity strength.

First, stand up from the seated position with your arms crossed in front of your chest and record the total number of times the subject was able to complete in 30 seconds.

Reference Standard (Times):

8 ft (2.4 m) stand-up walk test:

Purpose: Agility and Balance Competency Assessment.

First sit in the middle of the chair with your back straight, feet flat on the floor, hands on your thighs, one foot slightly forward, lean forward slightly, and after hearing the start of the password, the participant gets up from the chair and walks forward, bypassing the cones from either side, and then returns to sit in the chair, recording the time it took.

Reference Standard (seconds):

If after the above 2 simple tests, your lower limb strength and somatic flexibility are problematic, it is recommended to go to the hospital for comprehensive assessment as soon as possible.

Expert Profile Wang He

Deputy Chief Physician of the Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine of Beijing Hospital, Secretary of the Respiratory Rehabilitation Committee of the Chinese Rehabilitation Medicine Association, Youth Member of the Allergy Medicine Professional Association of the Chinese Research Hospital Association. His research interests include chronic airway diseases and early rehabilitation of respiratory critical illnesses. He participated in the translation of the "Basic Course of Respiratory Rehabilitation", and participated in the compilation of many books such as the Respiratory Rehabilitation Guide Series.

End of this article

Please do not reprint without permission

Typography: Golden Beans