Prevalence and Predictors of Osteoporosis in Patients of Interstitial Lung Disease: An Observational Study from North India

Background: Osteoporosis has been widely reported in chronic respiratory diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and cystic fibrosis. However, there is a scarcity of data on its prevalence and risk factors in interstitial lung disease (ILD), particularly in Indian patients. Aims: The present study was conducted to determine the prevalence and predictors of osteoporosis in ILD patients. Materials and Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study, in which ILD patients presenting to the hospital were enrolled. After collecting demographic and clinical data, the patients underwent a dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry scan of the femoral neck to measure bone mineral density. Osteoporosis was diagnosed based on their T-scores, following the World Health Organization guidelines. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to determine the risk factors of osteoporosis in ILD. Results: The mean age of the 97 ILD patients was 55.7 + 12.6 years (range 28-84 years) with the predominance of females (n = 61). Osteoporosis was detected in 39 (40.2%) patients. Female gender, duration of symptoms, and low hemoglobin level had a positive association with osteoporosis on univariate analysis (P < 0.05). However, duration of symptoms (adjusted odds ratio [OR]-1.29; 95% confidence interval CI-1.02-1.63; P = 0.04) and hemoglobin level (adjusted OR-0.59; 95% CI-0.39-0.89; P = 0.01) were the independent risk factors of osteoporosis on multivariate analysis. Conclusion: Osteoporosis is common comorbidity seen in ILD patients. A longer duration of ILD symptoms and low hemoglobin level can predict the presence of osteoporosis in these patients.