Clinical and inflammatory factors associated with body mass index in elderly patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Aim: Body mass index (BMI) is closely associated with mortality in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Systemic inflammation has been suggested as one of the mechanisms of malnutrition in COPD. This study investigated the relationships of clinical variables and inflammatory biomarkers with BMI in COPD in an aging population. Methods: Baseline levels of serum biomarkers were determined for 69 patients with stable male COPD. Multivariate logistic regression was used to evaluate associations between clinical variables, including emphysema scores, and biomarkers with BMI. Results: Twenty eight patients were categorized as low BMI (< 20 kg/m2). BMI was inversely correlated with serum alpha 1-antitrypsin (alpha 1-AT) concentration and emphysema scores, and was positively correlated with forced vital capacity (FVC) and forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that alpha 1-AT was independently associated with BMI. Conclusion: Low BMI was associated with the severity of emphysema and systemic inflammation reflected by elevated alpha 1-AT level. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2011; 11: 32-38.