Anemia Limits Exercise Capacity in COPD Patients

Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and anemia have less exercise capacity than individuals with COPD alone, according to recent research.

Anemia is often associated with chronic diseases related to dyspnea and a more restricted exercise regimen. However, little research has assessed how anemia limits exercise capacity in patients with COPD.
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To investigate this association, researchers enrolled 87 male patients with COPD and divided them into 2 groups based on the WHO criteria for Hemoglobin concentration level: 6 patients had anemia and 81 didn’t have anemia.

Researchers used the modified Medical Research Council dyspnea scale and COPD assessment test to record shortness of breath and the 6-minute walk test to assess exercise capacity.

After analyzing the results, researchers found that patients with anemia had a significantly shorter 6-minute walk distance than patients without anemia. However, there wasn’t a significant correlation between Hemoglobin level and 6-minute walk distance.

After adjusting for age, smoking habits, dyspnea scales, COPD scores, lung function, and quality of life, there were no significant differences between the 2 groups.

“Anemia was related to a reduction of exercise capacity in COPD,” researchers concluded. “Further studies about the relation of anemia and other parameters of exercise capacity, including muscle strength and muscle mass, are needed.”

—Amanda Balbi

Reference:

Jin HJ, Chung JH. The association with exercise capacity and anemia in chronic airway disease. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2016;137(2):AB4. Suppl. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jaci.2015.12.015.