Cardiopulmonary Status in Adults with Osteogenesis Imperfecta: Intrinsic Lung Disease May Contribute More Than Scoliosis

Abstract Background Osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) is a heterogeneous group of collagen-related disorders characterized by osteopenia, bone fractures, spine deformities, and nonskeletal complications. Cardiopulmonary complications are the major cause of morbidity and mortality in adults with OI. The cause of such problems was often attributed solely to the presence of large scoliosis curves affecting pulmonary function and, indirectly, cardiovascular health. However, recent studies suggest this may not be the case. Therefore, determining the relationships and causative agents of cardiopulmonary problems in patients with OI, specifically pulmonary impairment, is important to improving the overall wellbeing, quality of life, and survival of these patients. Questions/purposes (1) Is cardiopulmonary fitness in OI solely related to the presence of scoliosis? (2) What is the prevalence of heart and lung complications in this adult population? (3) Does the presence of pulmonary impairment impact quality of life in adults with OI? Methods This is a prospective observational cross-sectional study. Within 1 year, each participant (n = 30) completed pulmonary function testing, echocardiogram, ECG, chest CT, AP spine radiography, and quality-of-life assessments (SF-36, St. George’s Respiratory Questionnaire, Functional Outcomes of Sleep Questionnaire, and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index). In terms of pulmonary function, we differentiated restrictive and obstructive physiology using the ratio of forced expiratory volume over one second to forced vital capacity (FEV1/FVC), with restrictive lung physiology defined as FEV1/FVC > 0.8 and obstructive lung physiology as FEV1/FVC < 0.7. Spine radiographs were evaluated for scoliosis. Chest CT images were reviewed to qualitatively assess the lungs. The statistical analysis involved a Kruskall-Wallis test with Bonferroni’s correction and a bivariate correlation analysis using Spearman’s rho correlation coefficient (p < 0.05). Results Sixteen of 23 participants with restrictive lung physiology had scoliosis; their ages ranged from 19 years to 67 years. There was no correlation between the magnitude of the scoliosis curve and deficient pulmonary function (R = 0.08; p = 0.68). Seven participants had normal pulmonary function. The average scoliosis curve was 44 ± 29°. Thirteen participants had abnormal ECG findings while 10 had abnormal echocardiogram results. All but two individuals with abnormal chest CT results were found to have bronchial wall thickening. There were no differences in pulmonary or cardiac findings between OI types, except for FVC and total lung capacity, which were lower in individuals with Type III OI than in those with other types of OI. FEV1/FVC correlated with St. George’s Respiratory Questionnaire (R = 0.429; p = 0.02) but not with Functional Outcomes of Sleep Questionnaire (R = -0.26; p = 0.19) or SF-36 scores (physical component summary: R = -0.037, p = 0.85; mental component summary: R = -0.204, p = 0.29). Conclusions The lack of a relationship between decreased pulmonary function and the severity of scoliosis suggests that restrictive lung physiology in this population is likely because of factors intrinsic to OI and not entirely because of thoracic cage deformities. The fact that pulmonary impairment influences self-perceived quality of life exemplifies how detrimental such complications may be to everyday functioning. This also reinforces the importance of determining the underlying cause of cardiopulmonary impairment in this population to set clear clinical guidelines of care. Level of Evidence Level II, prognostic study.