Nutritional state and exercise tolerance in patients with COPD.

We hypothesized that in patients with COPD, poor nutritional status adversely influences exercise tolerance by limiting aerobic capacity of exercising muscles. In 28 patients with stable COPD, we correlated nutritional status with gas exchange indexes obtained during maximal incremental cycle ergometer exercise and with respiratory function parameters. On the basis of percent of ideal body weight (%IBW), patients were divided into three groups (GP): GP1 (n=8, %IBW 2 uptake ( V ˙ O 2 peak), with earlier onset of metabolic acidosis (anaerobic threshold [AT]); in addition, indexes reflecting O 2 cost of ventilation were higher in GP1. Nutritional status could be correlated with exercise tolerance ( V ˙ O 2 peak, r=0.82, p 2 cost of ventilation. We conclude that in patients with stable COPD, (1) malnutrition significantly affects muscle aerobic capacity and exercise tolerance, and (2) high wasted ventilation and O 2 cost of ventilation may be responsible for the weight loss.