Figure 2.

Consequences of tobacco smoking include local (pulmonary) and systemic inflammation. The former will lead to pulmonary changes characteristic of COPD, whereas the latter appears to be linked to its extrapulmonary manifestations including muscle dysfuntion. However, the key deleterious etiologic factors for muscle dysfunction are pulmonary hyperinflation for respiratory muscles and deconditioning for limb muscles. COPD, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.