Peripheral muscle dysfunction in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Abstract EN

Dysfunction of the quadriceps muscles is regularly observed in patients with severe Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.

Besides symptoms such as dyspnea and fatigue, they are progressively disabled by impaired exercise performance.

Whether or not chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is linked to a specific myopathic condition, or whether the peripheral muscle dysfunction is a secondary consequence of the disease itself, it has not been definitively established.

Proposed causative factors for the related muscle dysfunction include coexisting heart disease, chronic inflammation, acidosis, hypoxemia, malnutrition, severe de-conditioning (as a result of dyspnea), certain medications (particularly corticosteroids) and chronic inactivity leading to muscle disuse.

The focus of this review is to identify and evaluate the physiological, metabolical and structural mechanisms involved in peripheral muscle dysfunction in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.