Nutritional risk screening and analysis of factors influencing nutritional risk in patients with stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Abstract

Objective: To assess nutritional status and influencing factors in stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients.

Methodology: A retrospective study of 280 stable COPD patients from two Beijing hospitals (June 2022 to June 2024) collected data on demographics, body mass index (BMI), smoking history, lung function, nutritional risk, six‐minute walk distance (6MWD) test, COPD Assessment Test (CAT) scores, and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) syndrome patterns. Statistical analysis compared nutritionally normal (NN) and at-risk (NAR) groups.

Results: Significant differences (P < 0.05) between NN and NAR groups included age, BMI, smoking history (active/passive), CAT scores, lung function, 6MWD, and TCM syndromes (spleen/kidney deficiency, qi/yin deficiency). Logistic regression identified key factors: sex, age, BMI, smoking (history/index), CAT/6MWD/lung function classifications, and TCM patterns (spleen/kidney involvement, qi/blood stasis).

Conclusion: Nutritional risk in stable COPD is significantly influenced by age, BMI, smoking, disease severity (CAT/lung function), physical capacity (6MWD), and TCM syndromes (deficiency/stasis patterns). These factors should guide nutritional interventions.