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Updated: Mar 7, 2026
Scanning Skeletal Remains for Bone Mineral Density in Forensic Contexts
Published on: January 29, 2018
Pediatric-onset inflammatory bowel disease poses risk for low bone mineral density at early adulthood
Anat Guz-Mark1, Firas Rinawi2, Oxana Egotubov3
1Institute of Gastroenterology, Nutrition and Liver Disease, Schneider Children's Medical Center, Petah-Tikva, Israel; Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel.
Insights
Pediatric-onset inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is linked to reduced bone mineral density (BMD) in adulthood. Low weight at diagnosis is associated with osteopenia and osteoporosis in these patients.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Gastroenterology
- Bone Metabolism
- Inflammatory Bowel Disease Research
Background:
- Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a known risk factor for diminished bone mineral density (BMD) in both pediatric and adult populations.
- Early-onset IBD may have long-term consequences on skeletal health that persist into adulthood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the long-term effects of pediatric-onset IBD on adult bone mineral density (BMD).
- To identify potential correlations between disease characteristics and bone health outcomes in adulthood.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective review of medical records for pediatric IBD patients.
- Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scans in adulthood were analyzed for bone mineral density (BMD) z-scores.
- Statistical analysis to correlate BMD with various clinical factors.
Main Results:
- A significant proportion of adult patients (44.3%) with pediatric-onset IBD exhibited osteopenia, and 8.2% had osteoporosis.
- Lower bone mineral density (BMD) z-scores were observed compared to the normal population (median z-score -1.2, p<0.001).
- Low weight z-score at diagnosis positively correlated with abnormal bone status in adulthood (r=0.306).
Conclusions:
- Adults with a history of pediatric-onset IBD frequently experience osteopenia and osteoporosis.
- Low weight at the time of pediatric IBD diagnosis is a significant predictor of poor bone health in adulthood.
Background:
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is known to pose a risk for low bone mineral density (BMD) in children and adults. We aimed to evaluate the impact of pediatric-onset IBD on BMD in adulthood.
Methods:
Records of pediatric-IBD patients were retrospectively reviewed for documentation of dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scans in adulthood. BMD was expressed as z-score.
Results:
Sixty one patients were included. Mean (±SD) age at diagnosis was 14.7 (±2.4) years. Mean age at first DXA scan in adulthood was 23.9 years (±4.8). Median BMD z-score was -1.2 SD (IQR, -1.8 to -0.4), significantly lower than expected in normal population (p<0.001). Osteopenia (BMD z-score ≤-1 SD) was noted in 44.3% (n=27), and osteoporosis (BMD z-score ≤-2.5 SD) in 8.2% (n=5). Bone-status showed no correlation with age, disease severity, vitamin D status at diagnosis, IBD subtype or duration of disease. Positive correlation (r=0.306) was identified between low weight z-score at diagnosis and abnormal bone-status in adulthood. Among 36 patients with multiple DXA scans, there was no significant change in BMD during follow-up of 2.4 years.
Conclusions:
Osteopenia and osteoporosis are frequent in adult IBD patients with pediatric-onset disease and correlates with low weight z-score at diagnosis.
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