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General Reviews

Peripherical muscle disfunction in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Mihai Roca, Traian Mihăescu
Universitatea de Medicină şi Farmacie „Grigore T. Popa” Iaşi, Facultatea de Medicină Spitalul Clinic de Pneumologie Iaşi

Abstract

Although primarily a disease of the lungs, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) associates systemic manifestations and comorbidities. The skeletal muscles function is restricted in COPD, because of decreased endurance and strength. Skeletal muscle weakness has a great clinical importance in COPD, as it is recognized to contribute independently to poor health status, reduced quality of life and increased mortality. The purpose of this paper is to describe the current knowledge of the structural and functional abnormalities of skeletal muscles in COPD and the possible physiopathologic determination of these dysfunctions. The understanding of these abnormalities is essential in development of new therapeutic strategies to combat muscle dysfunction in COPD, including the pulmonary rehabilitation programs.

Keywords: chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, exercise tolerance, myopathy 

Non-invasive positive pressure ventilation în stable COPD: has it any role?

Florin Mihălțan, Oana Deleanu, Ruxandra Ulmeanu, Roxana Nemeș
Institutul de Pneumologie „Marius Nasta”, București

Abstract

The role of non invasive positive pressure ventilation instable COPD remains, in many ways, a controversial subject in pulmonology. In this article we are analysing the pro and con arguments and select the current indications, pointing out the unelucidated aspects of this kind of therapy.

Keywords: non invasive positive pressure ventilation, stable COPD