Body mass index and prognosis in patients hospitalized with acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Background Nutritional status, weight loss and cachexia have important prognostic implications in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Body mass index (BMI) has been implicated in COPD risk assessment, but information is mostly limited to composite scores or to patients with stable disease. We aimed to analyse the association between BMI and mortality in acute exacerbation of COPD. Methods This retrospective survey included 968 patients hospitalized due to acute exacerbation of COPD at the University Clinic Golnik from February 2002 to June 2007. Vital status was ascertained with Central Population Registry, and database was censored on November 1, 2008. Results Median BMI was 25.08 kg/m 2 (interquartile range, 21.55–29.05 kg/m 2 ) and 210 patients (22%) had BMI