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Approved research

Development of BMI specific cut offs for fat free mass index

Principal Investigator: Dr Martijn Spruit
Approved Research ID: 270
Approval date: June 1st 2012 | Completion date: October 17th 2017

Lay summary

An abnormal low fat-free mass index (FFMI) occurs frequently in patients with chronic organ failure, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and is a strong determinant of morbidity and mortality. Moreover, FFMI provides information on prognosis in addition to body mass index. Therefore, assessment of FFMI should be considered in the routine assessment of COPD. The current gender-specific cut off values for an abnormal low FFMI are based on the lowest 10th percentile of the general population (mean BMI: 26 kg/m2). Nevertheless, in daily clinical practice, many COPD patients who are overweight (25-30 kg/m2) or obese (>30 kg/m2) do not have an abnormal low FFMI. We aim to develop BMI-specific cut offs for abnormal low FFMI in men and women that can be applied in the clinical setting and used as a global standard, irrespective of the underlying disease. This project requires baseline data on participants with lung function and impedance measures who are over 45 years at recruitment.