Metabolic Syndrome in Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Abstract

Background: People with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) often have metabolic syndrome (MetS), which raises the risk of heart problems.

Objective: To assess the prevalence of metabolic syndrome among patients diagnosed with COPD at Liaquat University Hospital, Hyderabad/Jamshoro.

Methods: The department of medicine at Liaquat University Hospital in Hyderabad conducted this cross-sectional observational study from October 1, 2024, to March 31, 2025. Patients aged 35 to 70 years, of either gender, who fulfilled the diagnostic criteria for COPD, were included. Each participant underwent a comprehensive clinical assessment to screen for features suggestive of metabolic syndrome. Descriptive statistics were used to analyses the data that was gathered. Whereas categorical variables were summed up as frequencies and percentages, continuous variables were displayed as means with standard deviations.

Results: Out of the 146 patients enrolled in the study, 90 (61.6%) were identified as having metabolic syndrome. The statistical analysis demonstrated meaningful associations between metabolic syndrome and factors like age (p = 0.04), gender (p = 0.05), place of residence (p < 0.01), smoking habits (p = 0.05), obesity (p < 0.01), magnesium deficiency (p < 0.01), calcium deficiency (p < 0.01), diabetes mellitus (p < 0.01), elevated C-reactive protein (p = 0.01), increased ESR (p < 0.01), and pulmonary hypertension (p = 0.01). Conversely, no significant association was found between metabolic syndrome and factors like educational level (p = 0.48), occupation (p = 0.52), or vitamin D deficiency (p = 0.06).

Conclusion: The study highlights a high prevalence of metabolic syndrome among COPD patients, emphasizing the need for routine metabolic assessment in this group to reduce the risk of further health complications.