ABSTRACT
The chronic respiratory failure is a common clinical status in most countries and it associates with malnutrition due to several factors and it has been termed "pulmonary cachexia syndrome" this syndrome is associated with an acclerated decline in functional status and is an independent predicator of mortality. This syndrome can affect all types of chronic respiratory diseases, although it is best studied and described in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases "COPD" so we will focus on patients with COPD. To evaluate the nutritional status in patients with COPD and the effects of malnutrition on the patient status and prognosis. This study was performed on [70] patients with COPD during 2009 in Al-Assad university hospital in Damascus and Lattakia where the nutritional status was evaluated to the patients according to a group of global criteria and the effect of malnutrition on the patient status. Malnutrition is common in patients with copd and it's due to several factors and it causes several bad effects on the patient and on his ability to resist the respiratory disease because it increases times of hospitalization and it is an independent predicator of mortality. We must care of nutrition in patients with copd so the nutritional support should be a part of an integrated program to respiratory recorrection for them to improve their life style and survival rate.