PURPOSE: This study aimed to examine the effect of home-based pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) on bone mineral density (BMD), lung function, dyspnea, and walking ability for stable Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) patients with OP (osteoporosis). METHODS: The required sample size was 27 per group, adjusted to 32 per group to account for a 15% dropout rate, ensuring 90% power. This is a 6-month randomized, single-blind, controlled trial. COPD patients with OP were randomly divided into the home-based PR and control groups. Patients in the control group received the program of health education and drug treatment. Patients in the home-based PR group received additional home-based PR programs. The primary outcome was the bone mineral density (BMD) at the lumbar spine. The secondary outcomes included BMD at the femoral neck, lung function (FEV1% and FEV1/FVC), the modified Medical Research Council (mMRC), COPD assessment test (CAT), Borg dyspnea scale (Borg), and Six-minute walk distance test (6MWT). All outcomes were assessed at 3 and 6 months. RESULTS: After 6 months, 29 patients in the home-based PR group and 28 in the control group completed the trial. The BMD of the lumbar spine and femoral neck in the home-based PR group was significantly higher than that in the control group (0.758 +/- 0.048 versus 0.728 +/- 0.057, p = 0.031, 0.670 +/- 0.024 versus 0.658 +/- 0.019, p = 0.039, respectively). There was no significant difference in FEV1% and FEV1/FVC between the groups. The mMRC, CAT, and Borg of the home-based PR group were significantly lower than those of the control group at 3 and 6 months (p < 0.05). The 6MWT of the home-based PR group was significantly higher than that of the control group at 3 and 6 months (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Home-based PR improved BMD dyspnea, symptoms, function, and daily living ability but not lung function in COPD patients with OP.

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