Longitudinal analysis of adiponectin to leptin and apolipoprotein B to A1 ratios as markers of future airflow obstruction and lung function decline

Previous studies suggest associations between the risk of developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and adiponectin/leptin (ALR) and apolipoprotein B/A1 (APOR) ratios. This longitudinal observational study, using data from the Korean Genome and Epidemiology Study (KoGES), examined the rate of lung function decline, risk factors for the airflow obstruction (AFO), and the time to first AFO based on ALR and APOR groups. Among 5578 participants, high ALR and low APOR were associated with rapid decline in lung function and a shorter time to the first AFO. The high ALR group and the combined high ALR and low APOR group showed higher risk of experiencing AFO both at least once (RR 1.46, 95% CI 1.12-1.90; RR 1.74, 95% CI 1.23-2.46, respectively) and at the final follow up (RR 1.44, 95% CI 1.05-1.96; RR 1.72, 95% CI 1.14-2.60, respectively). High ALR and the combined high ALR and low APOR were identified as risk factors for earlier time to first AFO. This study highlights the potential of ALR and APOR as makers for predicting the risk of future airflow obstruction.