BACKGROUND:

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and allied conditions (COPD) is frequently associated with various comorbidities. This study examined the association between osteoporosis and pathologic fractures in a sample of patients with COPD.

METHODS:

In this cohort study, claims data from the National Health Insurance Research Database of Taiwan were used to evaluate the risk between COPD and osteoporosis. Using data from the Longitudinal Health Insurance Database 2000, we conducted a retrospective cohort study by investigating patients aged 20 years and older who were newly diagnosed with COPD and comparing them with controls without COPD during 2000-2010. In addition, we used univariable and multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression models to measure the association between COPD and the risk of osteoporosis.

RESULTS:

Our results revealed that COPD was significantly associated with a high risk of osteoporosis, regardless of whether the patients with COPD were corticosteroid users and irrespective of age and sex. After adjustment for covariates, the COPD patients exhibited a 1.54-fold higher risk of developing osteoporosis (hazard ratio 1.54, 95% confidence interval 1.44-1.64). COPD was a stronger risk factor for osteoporosis in men. Moreover, patients with severe COPD had a higher risk of osteoporosis or pathologic fractures.

CONCLUSION:

This study revealed that COPD, which shares the characteristics of inflammatory diseases, is associated with a higher risk of osteoporosis after adjustment for comorbidities.