Effect of body composition on survival in COPD

Kaplan-Meier plot of survival in different body-composition categories. Category 1 (cachexia; n = 117), solid blue line; category 2 (semistarvation; n = 23), solid green line; category 3 (muscle atrophy; n = 40), dashed green line; category 4 (no impairment; n = 232), dashed blue line. Median survival was significantly (p = 0.001) less in patients with cachexia (26 months, 95% CI 21-31) and muscle atrophy (24 months, 95% CI 15-33) than in patients with semistarvation (36 months, 95% CI 28-44) or no impairment (47 months, 95% CI 37-57). The survival plot of the semistarvation category did not differ significantly from that of the no-impairment category during the first three years.