Midthigh Muscle Cross-Sectional Area Is a Better Predictor of Mortality than Body Mass Index in Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

This study was undertaken to test the hypothesis that a reduction in midthigh muscle cross-sectional area obtained by CT scan (MTCSA(CT)) is a better predictor of mortality in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) than low body mass index (BMI). We also wished to evaluate whether anthropometric measurements could be used to estimate MTCSA(CT). One hundred forty-two patients with COPD (age = 65 +/- 9 years, mean +/- SD, 26 F, BMI = 26 +/- 6 kg/m(2), FEV(1) = 42 +/- 16% predicted) were recruited from September 1995 to April 2000 with a mean follow-up of 41 +/- 18 months. The primary end-point was all-cause mortality during the study period. A Cox proportional hazards regression model was used to predict…