Celiac disease-related osteopathy among Saudi celiac patients: Are we adherent to recommendations?

There are no reports from Saudi Arabia documenting the picture of osteopathy in celiac disease (CD) and the adherence of physicians to the guidelines and recommendations to screen for bone disease. We conducted this study to document the prevalence of CD-related osteopathy and the Saudi physicians' adherence to the screening recommendations.

We identified the biopsy proven CD cases diagnosed between 2003 and 2012. In addition to demographic data, we collected laboratory (serum calcium, phosphate, alkaline phosphatase, 25-dihydroxy vitamin D, and parathyroid hormone levels) and imaging [Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA)] data. Vitamin D levels of <50 nmol/L and 50-<75 nmol/L defined deficiency and insufficiency, respectively. T score (of lumbar spine and femoral neck) of ≤-2.5 defined osteoporosis and a score of ≤-1 and >-2.5 defined osteopenia.

We identified 80 children and 128 adults with CD. Only 42% of children and 67% of adults had their serum vitamin D level measured. DEXA was ordered in 7% of children and 36% of adults. Vitamin D deficiency was widely prevalent and significantly higher in adults (95.3%) than children (76.3%). Low bone mass density (BMD) in adults was 86.9% (45.6% with osteopenia and 41.3% with osteoporosis).

We document low adherence of physicians to recommended guidelines to recommendations to screen for osteopathy in CD. Vitamin D deficiency and low BMD are highly prevalent among Saudi CD patients. This may be a reflection of the low vitamin D stores in the Saudi general population.