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Low Bone Mineral Density in Young Patients Newly Diagnosed with Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Joon Seop Lee1, Hyun Seok Lee2, Byung Ik Jang3
1Department of Internal Medicine, Kyungpook National University Hospital, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, 807 Hokuk-ro, Buk-gu, Daegu, 41404, Korea.
Insights
Low bone mineral density (BMD) affects about one-third of newly diagnosed inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients. Risk factors include high alkaline phosphatase in ulcerative colitis and being underweight in Crohn's disease.
Area of Science:
- Gastroenterology
- Endocrinology
- Rheumatology
Background:
- Prevalence and risk factors for low bone mineral density (BMD) in Asian patients newly diagnosed with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) require further investigation.
- Low BMD is a significant concern in IBD patients, potentially leading to fractures and reduced quality of life.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the prevalence and identify risk factors for low BMD in young, newly diagnosed Korean patients with IBD.
- To provide insights for early detection and management strategies for low BMD in this population.
Main Methods:
- Prospective enrollment of 132 IBD patients under 50 years old from six Korean tertiary centers.
- BMD measurement using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, with low BMD defined as a Z-score ≤ -1.0.
- Multivariate regression analysis to identify risk factors associated with low BMD in ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease.
Main Results:
- Approximately one-third of newly diagnosed IBD patients exhibited low BMD (32.4% in ulcerative colitis, 37.5% in Crohn's disease).
- High alkaline phosphatase (ALP) levels (≥ 140 U/L) were a significant risk factor for low BMD in ulcerative colitis patients (P=0.010).
- Being underweight (BMI ≤ 18.5 kg/m²) was identified as a risk factor for low BMD in Crohn's disease patients (P=0.017).
Conclusions:
- Low BMD is prevalent in approximately one-third of newly diagnosed Asian IBD patients.
- Clinical factors associated with low BMD include high ALP in ulcerative colitis and underweight status in Crohn's disease.
- BMD measurement should be considered at the time of IBD diagnosis in young patients to facilitate timely intervention.
Background:
The prevalence and risk factors of low bone mineral density (BMD) in Asian patients newly diagnosed with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) have not been fully suggested.
Aims:
We aimed to examine the prevalence and risk factors of low BMD in young Korean patients newly diagnosed with IBD.
Methods:
We prospectively enrolled 132 patients aged less than 50 years and newly diagnosed with IBD from six tertiary referral centers in Korea between November 2014 and April 2017. BMD was measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, and then the Z-score was determined. We defined low BMD as a Z-score ≤ - 1.0.
Results:
Of 68 patients with ulcerative colitis (UC), 22 (32.4%) had low BMD. Also, of 64 patients with Crohn's disease (CD), 24 (37.5%) showed low BMD. Results from multivariate regression analysis identified the risk factors for low BMD as a high level of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) (≥ 140 U/L) (P = 0.010) in UC patients, and being underweight (body mass index ≤ 18.5 kg/m2) (P = 0.017) in CD patients.
Conclusions:
Our study showed that about one-third of newly diagnosed IBD Asian patients had low BMD. The clinical factors associated with low BMD were a high level of ALP in UC patients, and being underweight, in CD patients. Therefore, measurements of BMD in young patients should be considered at the diagnosis of IBD.
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