BODE index (BMI , airflow obstruction , dyspnoea and exercise capacity)

The BODE index, a simple multidimensional grading system, is better than the FEV1 at predicting the risk of death from any cause and from respiratory causes among patients with COPD (1)

The study authors evaluated 207 COPD patients and found that four factors predicted the risk of death in this cohort: the body-mass index (B), the degree of airflow obstruction (O) and dyspnea (D), and exercise capacity (E), measured by the six-minute-walk test (1)

• the authors used these variables to construct the BODE index, a multidimensional 10-point scale in which higher scores indicate a higher risk of death

* The Body Mass Index values were correlated as 0 or 1 because of the inflection point in the inverse relationship between survival and a body mass index of 21, ie a Body Mass Index of >21 was associated with greater chance of survival than a BMI of <=21

Reference:

• 1) Bartolome R et al. The Body-Mass Index, Airflow Obstruction, Dyspnea, and Exercise Capacity Index in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary DiseaseN Engl J Med 2004; 350:1005-1012