Bronchiectasis tied to reduced muscle function, bone health

Muscle function and bone health tend to get impaired among individuals with bronchiectasis, reveals a study, noting a significant association between leg strength and clinical outcomes over 1 year.

Seventy-one adults with high-resolution computed tomography-confirmed bronchiectasis and 92 control participants in this study underwent the following assessments: dual X-ray absorptiometry (body composition), dynamometry (leg and shoulder strength), and core endurance tests.

Participants with bronchiectasis were classified as having retained or impaired leg strength based on the 10th percentile of control values. They also underwent reassessment after 1 year for exacerbations, dyspnoea, quality of life, anxiety and depression, and exercise capacity.

Forty-three adults with bronchiectasis completed follow-up. Females with bronchiectasis showed lower appendicular muscle index (p=0018), and both sexes had lower bone mineral density than controls (p<0.001). Women with bronchiectasis were also three times more likely to have osteopenia than their control counterparts (54 percent vs 18 percent).

Furthermore, females with bronchiectasis demonstrated poorer core endurance than those without (p≤0.003). Regardless of sex, those with bronchiectasis also had reduced leg strength relative to controls (mean difference for males, ‒25 kg, 95 percent confidence interval [CI], ‒50 to ‒1; mean difference for females, ‒18 kg, 95 percent CI, ‒29 to ‒7).

Reduced leg strength significantly correlated with worse dyspnoea, health-related quality of life, and function capacity over 1 year, explaining up to 33 percent of the variance. (p≤0.001).