Study of peripheral muscle strength and severity indexes in individuals with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Abstract

Individuals with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) present reduced peripheral muscle strength, which leads to impaired mobility and increased mortality risk. However, it is not clear whether there is any relationship between muscle strength, muscle mass and the body mass index, airflow obstruction, dyspnea, exercise performance (BODE) index scale, which is considered to be the best predictor of survival for individuals with COPD. The BODE Index is a multidimensional system that measures body composition (B), airway obstruction (O), dyspnea perception (D) and the ability to exercise (E), and rates the severity of the major changes found in individuals with COPD. The objective of this study was to verify any relationship between the BODE Index, muscle mass and maximum muscle strengths of the upper limb (UL) and lower limb (LL) in subjects with moderate to very severe COPD.