PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Rachael Evans
AU  - Eric Kaplovitch
AU  - Marla Beauchamp
AU  - Clare Gillies
AU  - Roger Goldstein
AU  - Dina Brooks
AU  - Sunita Mathur
TI  - Is quadriceps muscle endurance reduced in COPD? A systematic review and meta-analysis
DP  - 2012 Sep 01
TA  - European Respiratory Journal
PG  - P4767
VI  - 40
IP  - Suppl 56
4099  - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/40/Suppl_56/P4767.short
4100  - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/40/Suppl_56/P4767.full
SO  - Eur Respir J2012 Sep 01; 40
AB  - BackgroundAlthough quadriceps Type 1 muscle fibre proportion is reduced in patients with COPD, there is conflicting evidence as to whether quadriceps muscle endurance is impaired. We therefore performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies comparing quadriceps endurance in COPD to healthy controls.MethodsStudies comparing quadriceps endurance between patients with COPD and healthy controls were identified using six databases (1946-2011) and grey literature. Full text articles were obtained after two researchers independently reviewed the abstracts. Weight standardised mean difference (WSMD) with 95% confidence intervals were calculated by a random effects model for measures of quadriceps endurance.ResultsData were extracted from 17 studies involving 565 patients with COPD and 353 healthy controls. The outcome measurements involved a mixture of techniques. Quadriceps endurance was greater in the controls compared with COPD (WSMD -1.46 [-0.84 to -2.09]) p<0.001. This relationship was similar both when non-volitional versus volitional techniques (p=0.26) or when sustained versus dynamic contractions (p=0.43) were used to measure quadriceps endurance. There was significant heterogeneity between studies.ConclusionsQuadriceps endurance is reduced in patients with COPD compared to healthy controls. The results were independent of the type of muscle endurance test used.