Prevalence of Osteoporosis in Korean Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and Their Health-related Quality of Life According to the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2008–2011

Background In this study, we evaluated the prevalence of osteoporosis, risk factors associated with osteoporosis, and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in clinically stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients. Methods A total of 1,081 COPD patients were recruited from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) from July 2008 to May 2011. Bone mineral densities at the lumbar spine, femoral neck, and total proximal femur were measured using dual energy X-ray absorptiometry. HRQOL was assessed using the EuroQOL-5 dimensions (EQ-5D) questionnaire. To identify factors associated with osteoporosis and HRQOL in patients with COPD, multivariate regression analyses was performed. Results Of the 1,081 COPD patients, 191 (17.7%) were diagnosed with osteoporosis. There were significant differences in age, sex, smoking status, education level, house income, and body mass index (BMI) between the osteoporotic and non-osteoporotic groups. COPD patients with osteoporosis had significantly lower EQ-5D scores than the controls. In multivariate analyses, older age (odds ratio [OR]=1.10, P<0.001) was risk factor for osteoporosis. And patients of male sex (OR=0.06, P<0.001), high house income (OR=0.75, P=0.045), and high BMI (OR=0.74, P<0.001) were less likely to have osteoporosis. In addition, osteoporosis was associated with poor HRQOL (β=-0.21, P=0.023). Conclusions The prevalence of osteoporosis in COPD patients based on the 2008 to 2011 KNHANES data were relatively lower than that in physician-diagnosed COPD patients. In these COPD patients, older age, female sex, low household income, and low BMI increased the risk for osteoporosis.