[Course and prognostic value of nutritional parameters in chronic bronchitis]

We studied the nutritional parameters in 82 patients with chronic airways obstruction (type chronic bronchitis). Midarm muscle circumference was the earliest parameter affected. Patients were admitted to the hospital when his serum albumin had a value under normal. On the other hand, the outpatients had a serum albumin within the normal limits. When the protein deficiency involved serum prealbumin and serum retinol binding protein the patients were admitted to intensive care unit (ICU). The body weight and triceps skinfold were within the normal limits even in icu's patients, so that, both parameters neither reflect the nutrition status nor the severity of the undernutrition.