COPD and osteoporosis: something more than a comorbidity

Excerpt

Chronic obstructive lung disease (COPD) is a progressive functional disorder of the respiratory system with high prevalence in the older population and is presently the fourth cause of mortality and supposed to be the third in the 2020 in the world [1]. Large part of COPD morbidity and mortality is due to extra-pulmonary effects rather than pulmonary consequences of this disorder, mainly when the airway obstruction is mild or moderate [2]. Among the extra-pulmonary effects, osteopenia and osteoporosis, as a consequence of a loss of bone mineral density (BMD), have been widely recognized as a major comorbidity in COPD patients [3]. …