Inventory of nutritional status in patients with COPD.

Assessment of nutritional status was performed in 153 patients with COPD, admitted to a rehabilitation center. All patients had moderate to severe COPD and were in stable pulmonary condition. Nutritional parameters studied were percentage of ideal body weight, creatinine height index, serum albumin, serum prealbumin, serum transferrin, and total lymphocyte count. A nutritional index composed of four commonly used parameters (PIW, ALB, PALB, TLC) was calculated. This NI was used to separate patients who had a compromised nutritional status (NI greater than or equal to 0.5; 29 patients, 19 percent) from patients who had a normal nutritional status. The results demonstrated a relation between impaired gas exchange and parameters used to assess nutritional status and not between the degree of bronchial obstruction and such parameters.