BackgroundCOPD is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in the world; however, the most varied amounts of clinical and laboratory characteristics acts in different ways in the mortality among over time. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the predictors of mortality in patients with COPD after 9 years.Patients and methodsOne hundred and thirty-three patients with COPD were assessed at baseline by spirometry, pulse oximetry (SpO2), body composition, intensity of dyspnea, distance walked in the 6-minute walk test (6MWT), and Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI).ResultsAfter 9 years, it was not possible to identify the lifetime of 4 patients who died and of 19 patients who stopped follow-up; thus, 110 patients were included in the analysis of predictors of mortality (67% male, 65±9 years old, and FEV1: 52.5 [40%–73%]). Male sex, age, SpO2, Body mass index, airway Obstruction, Dyspnea, and Exercise capacity (BODE) index, and frequency of exacerbations in the first 3 years of follow-up were considered in the model. Patients classified at baseline with BODE class 2 (HR: 2.62, 95% CI: 1.36–5.04; P=0.004), BODE class 3 (HR: 2.54, 95% CI: 1.15–5.61; P=0.02), and BODE class 4 (HR: 15.35, 95% CI: 3.11–75.75; P=0.001) showed increased risk of death compared to those with BODE class 1. The CCI (HR: 1.29, 95% CI: 1.00–1.68; P=0.04) and the number of exacerbations in the first 3 years (HR: 1.32, 95% CI: 1.00–1.76; P=0.04) also showed increased risk of death. By replacing the BODE index for the variables that compose it, those with body mass index ≤21 kg/m2 showed increased risk of death compared to those with body mass index (BMI)>21 kg/m2 (HR: 2.70, 95% CI: 1.38–5.25; P=0.003).ConclusionAfter 9 years, we identified that those with high BODE index, greater CCI, greater frequency of exacerbations in the first 3 years, and BMI ≤21 kg/m2 showed increased risk of death.

Introduction. Acute exacerbation is an important factor for a worse prognosis in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). It promotes the increase of the inflammatory process and worsens quality of life, lung function, and muscle weakness. It is believed that physical exercise performed during the exacerbation breaks the vicious cycle of systemic manifestations without an increase in the inflammatory process. Objective. To evaluate the influence of short-term aerobic physical exercise during hospitalization on inflammatory markers. Patients and Methods. 26 patients were evaluated (69.2% female, FEV 137.5 ± 12.9%, and age 68.4 ± 11.6 years) 24 hours after hospitalization for smoking history, Charlson index, quality of life, systemic inflammatory markers, and body composition. After 48 hours of hospitalization, all patients underwent a 6-minute walk test (6MWT) and a new spirometry test, and BODE index was calculated. After 72 hours of hospitalization, patients in the intervention group underwent aerobic exercise on a treadmill for 15 minutes twice daily; before and after the aerobic exercise, blood samples were collected for evaluation of inflammatory markers. Finally, a month after hospital discharge, all patients were reevaluated according to systemic inflammatory markers, quality of life, body composition, spirometry, 6MWT, and BODE index. Results. Patients of both groups did not differ in severity of disease and general characteristics. The intervention group did not show worsening in the inflammatory process after aerobic activity: TNF-α from 1.19 (0 99–1.71) to 1.21 (0.77–1.53) (p=0.58), IL-6 from 2.41 (2.02–0.58) to 2.66 (1.69–0.48) (p=0.21), and CRP from 3.88 (2.26–8.04) to 4.07 (2.65–13.3) (p=0.56). There was a negative correlation between the IL-6 marker and the 6MWT; that is, with the reduction in inflammatory levels, there was an improvement in exercise capacity one month after hospital discharge. Conclusion. The present study showed that the aerobic physical activity initiated during hospitalization in patients with exacerbated COPD did not worsen the inflammatory process.

The effects of tobacco smoke, mild/moderate COPD disease and their combined effect on health status (HS), body composition (BC), and exercise capacity (EC) impairment are still unclear. We hypothesized that smoking and early COPD have a joint negative influence on these outcomes. We evaluated 32 smokers (smoking history >10 pack/years), 32 mild/moderate COPD (current smokers or former smokers), and 32 never smokers. All individuals underwent medical and smoking status evaluations, pre and post-bronchodilator spirometry, BC [fat-free mass (FFM) and FFM index (FFMI)], EC [six-minute walk distance (6MWD)] and HS [Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36)]. FFM (p = 0.02) and FFMI (p = 0.008) were lower in COPD than never smokers. 6MWT, as a percentage of reference values for the Brazilian population, was lower in COPD and smokers than never smokers (p = 0.01). Smokers showed worse SF-36 score for functional capacity than never smokers (p<0.001). SF-36 score for physical functioning (p<0.001) and role-emotional (p<0.001) were impaired in COPD patients than smokers. SF-36 scores for physical functioning (p<0.001), role-physical (p = 0.01), bodily pain (p = 0.01), vitality (p = 0.04) and role-emotional (p<0.001) were lower in COPD than never smokers. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that both COPD diagnosis and smoking were inversely associated with FFMI, 6MWD and HS. Smoking and early COPD have a joint negative influence on body composition, exercise capacity and health status.

Objective: To determine the impact of adherence to long-term oxygen therapy (LTOT) on quality of life, dyspnea, and exercise capacity in patients with COPD and exertional hypoxemia followed for one year. Methods: Patients experiencing severe hypoxemia during a six-minute walk test (6MWT) performed while breathing room air but not at rest were included in the study. At baseline and after one year of follow-up, all patients were assessed for comorbidities, body composition, SpO2, and dyspnea, as well as for anxiety and depression, having also undergone spirometry, arterial blood gas analysis, and the 6MWT with supplemental oxygen. The Saint George’s Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ) was used in order to assess quality of life, and the Body mass index, airflow Obstruction, Dyspnea, and Exercise capacity (BODE) index was calculated. The frequency of exacerbations and the mortality rate were noted. Treatment nonadherence was defined as LTOT use for < 12 h per day or no LTOT use during exercise. Results: A total of 60 patients with COPD and exertional hypoxemia were included in the study. Of those, 10 died and 11 experienced severe hypoxemia during follow-up, 39 patients therefore being included in the final analysis. Of those, only 18 (46.1%) were adherent to LTOT, showing better SGRQ scores, higher SpO2 values, and lower PaCO2 values than did nonadherent patients. In all patients, SaO2, the six-minute walk distance, and the BODE index worsened after one year. There were no differences between the proportions of adherence to LTOT at 3 and 12 months of follow-up. Conclusions: Quality of life appears to be lower in patients with COPD and exertional hypoxemia who do not adhere to LTOT than in those who do. In addition, LTOT appears to have a beneficial effect on COPD symptoms (as assessed by SGRQ scores). (Brazilian Registry of Clinical Trials - ReBEC; identification number RBR-9b4v63 [http://www.ensaiosclinicos.gov.br])

Background Eosinophil counts increase during chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) exacerbation and influence the response to different agents (such as inhaled and systemic corticosteroids), as well as increase the production of other inflammatory cytokines. However, few studies have evaluated the association between peripheral blood eosinophils with mortality rate. Objective To evaluate the association between peripheral blood eosinophils and mortality rate in COPD patients over a nine-year period. Study Design and Methods This cohort included 133 COPD patients assessed at baseline by spirometry, pulse oximetry (SpO 2 ), complete blood count, body composition, dyspnea intensity [Modified Medical Research Council (mMRC)] and the six-minute distance test (6MWD). The Kaplan–Meier curve followed by a Log rank test was used to evaluate mortality rate related to eosinophil cutoff point categorization. Multivariate Cox regression analysis was performed to identify the association between eosinophils and mortality with all subjects evaluated at baseline, adjusted for age, gender, mMRC, 6MWT, forced expiratory volume in the first second (FEV 1 ) and SpO 2 . Results Nineteen patients did not complete follow-up and it was not possible to identify the date of death in four others. Therefore, 110 patients were included in the analysis. At baseline, 81% presented ≥150 eosinophil cells and 72% presented ≥2%. We identified a three-fold higher risk of death in those with <2% eosinophils and <150 cells. We did not identify statistical differences when using other cutoff points. Conclusion The decrease in number of peripheral eosinophils, with cutoff points at 2% and 150 cells, may be associated with a higher risk of death in COPD patients over nine years.