@article {Ansarip4539, author = {Khalid Ansari and Joan Munby and Graham Burn and Ian Taylor and Andrea Kay and Malcolm Farrow and Niall Keaney}, title = {Reduced grip strength is related to frequency of exacerbations and lower health status in COPD}, volume = {38}, number = {Suppl 55}, elocation-id = {p4539}, year = {2011}, publisher = {European Respiratory Society}, abstract = {Muscle weakness is a feature of COPD that affects quality of life. Systemic inflammation, an accompaniment of acute exacerbations, has been implicated in its aetiology. Recurrent exacerbations are also associated with lowered health status. This study examines the relationship between muscle weakness, health status and exacerbation frequency in a cohort of patients with COPD.This is an observational study of 188 (95 female) COPD patients attending two hospital clinics in the North {\textendash}East of England. We recorded spirometry, health status (SGRQ), grip strength (Jamar), MRC dyspnoea score and the reported frequency of exacerbations in the previous year.Patients were aged 72.5{\textpm}8.3 years with MRC score of 3.6{\textpm}0.8, FEV1 of 49.2{\textpm}21.5 percent predicted and a total SGRQ score of 72.2{\textpm}15.5. Grip strength, expressed as percent predicted, was 72.0{\textpm}21.8 in men and 81.0{\textpm}18.2 in women (mean {\textpm} SD). Exacerbations ranged from zero to five in the previous year and there were associations of reduced grip strength with exacerbation frequency (χ2 = 9.63; p = 0.0019) and lower health status (χ2 = 34.0; p \< 0.0001).View this table:Outcomes and number of exacerbationsConclusion: Our data clearly demonstrate that reduction in grip strength is greater in patients with a history of frequent exacerbations and is associated with reduced health status.}, issn = {0903-1936}, URL = {https://erj.ersjournals.com/content/38/Suppl_55/p4539}, eprint = {https://erj.ersjournals.com/content}, journal = {European Respiratory Journal} }