Chronic Diseases Related to Diet and/or Nutrition in Patients With an Ileostomy - A Scoping Review

Ileostomy formation alters bowel function and is associated with changes that could lead to the development of chronic diseases. The literature on these diseases has not previously been summarised and specific guidelines on their management are absent. This scoping review aimed to explore the extent and type of literature examining such diseases.

MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, AMED, and Web of Science were searched from database inception to 28 April 2025. Studies on chronic diseases (kidney, bone, metabolic disease, and anaemia) related to diet and/or nutrition in adults with any type of ileostomy were included. Patients on parenteral/enteral nutrition were excluded. Screening and data extraction were conducted by pairs of independent reviewers. Results were reported according to PRISMA-ScR guidelines.

Twenty independent studies (21 full texts) met the inclusion criteria, with sample sizes ranging from 14 to 19,889. Eight full texts reported on kidney disease, five on anaemia/B12 deficiency, four on bone and metabolic disease respectively. The incidence of CKD ranged from 0% to 63.8%, osteopenia from 29.4% to 48.0%, osteoporosis from 5% to 12%, and metabolic disease from 11.8% to 28%. Anaemia incidence was found to be 7.2% and B12 deficiency ranged from no association to 31.8%.

Current evidence on the risk of chronic diseases associated with ileostomy formation is weakened by studies of small sample size and high heterogeneity of population, methodologies and outcomes. Further studies need to stratify rates by ileostomy indication, length of time with an ileostomy, and effect of ileostomy reversal.