title: Only severe COPD is associated with being underweight:results from a population survey.
abstract: Low body mass index (BMI) and malnutrition in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are associated with a poor prognosis. The prevalence of underweight, as well as overweight, in severity grades of COPD is sparsely investigated in studies of the general population and the associated patterns of risk factors are not well established. The aim of the present study was to determine the association between severity grades of airflow limitation in COPD, and both underweight and obesity when corrected for possible confounding factors. The study is based on pooled data from the OLIN (Obstructive Lung Disease in Northern Sweden) studies. Complete records with lung function, BMI and structured interview data were available from 3942 subjects (50.7% women and 49.3% men). COPD and severity grading were defined using the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease criteria. In sensitivity analyses, the lower limit of normal was used. The prevalence of underweight was 7.3% in severe COPD (grades 3 and 4)versus2.0% in those with normal spirometry. The prevalence of obesity increased from 9.7% in grade 1, to 16.3% in grade 2 and 20.0% in severe COPD,versus17.7% in those with normal spirometry. In adjusted analysis, of the COPD severity grades, only severe COPD was associated with underweight (OR 3.24, 95% CI 1.0004-10.5), while the COPD severity grades tended to be inversely associated with overweight.
authors.affiliation: Krefting Research Centre, Institute of Medicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden; Dept of Internal Medicine, The Central County Hospital of Halmstad, Halmstad, Sweden.
authors.forename: Berne
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-3341-3234
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Eriksson
authors.affiliation: Dept of Public Health and Clinical Medicine, Division of Occupational and Environmental Medicine/the OLIN Unit, University of Umeå, Umeå, Sweden.
authors.forename: Helena
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Backman
authors.affiliation: Krefting Research Centre, Institute of Medicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.
authors.forename: Apostolos
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bossios
authors.affiliation: Krefting Research Centre, Institute of Medicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.
authors.forename: Anders
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bjerg
authors.affiliation: Dept of Public Health and Clinical Medicine, Division of Occupational and Environmental Medicine/the OLIN Unit, University of Umeå, Umeå, Sweden.
authors.forename: Linnea
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Hedman
authors.affiliation: Division of Medicine/Respiratory Medicine and Allergy, University of Umeå, Umeå, Sweden.
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lindberg
authors.affiliation: Dept of Public Health and Clinical Medicine, Division of Occupational and Environmental Medicine/the OLIN Unit, University of Umeå, Umeå, Sweden.
authors.forename: Eva
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Rönmark
authors.affiliation: Krefting Research Centre, Institute of Medicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden; Dept of Public Health and Clinical Medicine, Division of Occupational and Environmental Medicine/the OLIN Unit, University of Umeå, Umeå, Sweden.
authors.forename: Bo
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Lundbäck