COPD effects the whole body

COPD not only harms the lungs, but damages the whole body. People with COPD find it hard to breathe and easily get short of breath, which means they then find it difficult to do normal physical tasks, like walking or going upstairs, and they often end up relying on others to care for them.

Because these things become difficult, people with COPD tend to accept and adapt to it by avoiding doing physical tasks, spending more time sitting down and relying on others to help them. Over time, this reduced activity causes a loss of muscle and physical strength. Keeping active, and maintaining physical capacity, can help slow the decline seen in COPD and maintain quality of life.

People with COPD also start to find it harder to prepare and eat good sized meals. As eating food makes the feeling of breathlessness worse, many COPD patients eat less to avoid feeling breathless. Eating less consequently leads to a worsening of weight and muscle loss.

We now know that body weight, especially the muscle, and muscle strength in COPD patients are linked with how serious the disease will become. Doctors can therefore measure body weight, muscle mass, the size of the upper leg muscles, or how far someone can walk in five minutes. These tests help doctors assess the impact that COPD is having and therefore to determine the right treatments.