Nutritional assessment via anthropometric and biochemical measurements with stable COPD

Aim: Nutritional assessment is important for the management of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). This study aims at investigating the relation between the anthropometric and biochemical parameters for nutritional assessment with pulmonary function tests in COPD. Materials and methods: This is a prospective, cross-sectional study. Thirty-nine patients with stable COPD were enrolled the study. We evaluated the anthropometric [body mass index (BMI), skinfold thickness (SFT), and arm muscle circumference (AMC)), biochemical [serum total protein, albumin, transferrin, and blood urea nitrogen (BUN)], and spirometric [forced expiratory volume in the first second (FEV1), forced vital capacity (FVC), and FEV1/FVC] measurements, as well as the correlations among them. Results: There was a significant positive correlation between BMI and the other anthropometric parameters. There was no statistically significant correlation between the spirometric measurements and the biochemical parameters. We detected a positive correlation between SFT and serum albumin and total protein, and a negative correlation between BUN and AMC. Conclusion: Anthropometric and biochemical parameters may be used for nutritional assessment and nutritional support as criteria in stable COPD patients.