Abstract: ObjectiveTo investigate the effect of nutritional status on the parameters of pulmonary function, respiratory muscle strength and drive in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).MethodsThe nutritional status of 79 COPD patients at stable period was evaluated regularly, and their pulmonary function and parameters of respiratory muscle strength and drive were examined routinely, and the results were compared with 53 healthy subjects (control group) of the same age and gender.ResultsThe indexes of nutritional status in the COPD patients were all obviously lower than those in the control group (P<0.05～0.01). The parameters of pulmonary function including FEV₁, FVC, FEV₁%, FVC% and FEV₁%/FVC% in the control group were all markedly higher than those in the common nutritional status group and bad nutritional status group, and those were higher in the common nutritional status group than in the bad nutritional status group (P<0.05～0.01). The parameters of respiratory muscle strength including maximal mouth inspiratory pressure (P_mip) and maximal mouth expiratory pressure (P_mEp) in the control group were obviously higher than those in the common nutritional status group and bad nutritional status group, but the drive parameter of P_0.1 was markedly lower than those in the latter two groups, the P_mip and P_mEp in the bad nutritional status group were obviously lower than those in the common nutritional status group, but the P0.1 was obviously higher than that in the common nutritional status group (P<0.05～0.01).ConclusionCOPD patients at stable period are often accompanied by malnutrition, and the nutritional status is decisive to the declined degrees of the parameters of pulmonary function, respiratory muscle strength and drive.

Key words: chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), stable period, malnutrition, pulmonary function, respiratory muscle strength