Relationship between Sarcopenia and Respiratory Functions in Geriatric Male COPD Patients

Introduction: Sarcopenia can be defined as the loss of skeletal muscle mass and strength, especially with aging. In total, 21.6% of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) have sarcopenia. In our study, we investigated whether the evaluation of respiratory muscles can be correlated with peripheral muscle measurement and what kind of relationship is between sarcopenia and pulmonary function tests. Methods: A retrospective observational study conducted in a single center included 75 male COPD patients admitted to the pulmonary rehabilitation unit. The data were obtained from the hospital information management system and patient files. Results: The mean age of 75 male patients included in the study was 65 +/- 9 years, 76% had a history of smoking, and 46% had comorbidities. Sarcopenia was detected in 20 patients, 16 of whom were over 65 years of age. While the mean Handgrip was 50, Quadriceps 36, and Pinchmeter 17 in all age groups, it was 58, 38, and 17 in the over 65 age group, and 21, 21, and 12 in the 65 age group with cachexia, respectively. There was no statistical relationship between sarcopenia and forced expiratory volume 1 (FEV1), forced vital capacity, FEV1/FEV, Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease stages, modified Medical Research Council, and COPD assessment test scores in patients over 65 years of age (p>0.05). Conclusion: Although it was observed that the frequency of malnutrition and sarcopenia was higher than normal in the COPD patient group over 65 years of age, a decrease in pulmonary function tests and a decrease in effort capacity due to sarcopenia were observed, a statistically significant result was reached due to the insufficient number of cases.