Muscle dysfunction in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: update on causes and biological findings

For the last one and a half million years, our species has been moving and breathing on earth (1). In addition, we have been able to modify our environment, develop tools and skills and, thereby, create what today we call culture. All these functions essential for both individual survival and the biological success of our species are linked to the contractile properties of striated muscles. Their name derives from their structure, since their basic functional unit, the sarcomere, gives them a typical striped appearance. When, as a result of a disease or even a physiological process (such as ageing) our muscles do not work properly, we become weak and frail and may even die