Study of Bone Mineral Density in Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Abstract

Background/Objectives: Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is increasingly recognized for its systemic complications, including significant effects on bone metabolism. Osteopenia and osteoporosis are prevalent yet underdiagnosed comorbidities in COPD patients. The objective of this study was to assess the prevalence of osteopenia and osteoporosis in patients with COPD and to evaluate the relationship between bone mineral density (BMD) and key clinical parameters.

Methodology: This prospective observational study was conducted at the National Institute of Medical Sciences and Research (NIMS), Jaipur, between May 2023 and November 2024. A total of 122 clinically stable COPD patients, diagnosed according to GOLD guidelines, were enrolled. Data were collected through structured clinical history, physical examination, spirometry and ultrasound-based BMD measurements. Statistical analysis included descriptive statistics, chi-square tests and Pearson correlation using SPSS version 20.

Results: The mean age of participants was 61.38 ± 11.97 years with a nearly equal male-to-female ratio. Most subjects were either current or former smokers (63.1%) and more than half (58.2%) were classified as obese. BMD assessment revealed that 68.8% of COPD patients had low BMD—34.4% had osteopenia and 34.4% had osteoporosis. However, statistical analysis showed no significant association between BMD status and COPD severity based on GOLD stages (p = 0.993), BMI (p = 0.845), or smoking status (p = 0.646).

Conclusion: This study demonstrates a high prevalence of reduced bone mineral density among COPD patients, independent of traditionally recognized risk factors such as BMI, smoking and disease severity. Given the high burden of bone demineralization in COPD, routine BMD screening should be incorporated into clinical practice.