Disability among Palestinian patients with inflammatory bowel disease: evaluation using the IBD Disk and...

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) can substantially impair daily functioning, yet disability prevalence and determinants remain underexplored in Palestine. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of IBD-related disability using the IBD Disk tool and to identify risk factors associated with high disability among Palestinian patients.

A cross-sectional study was conducted among patients with a confirmed diagnosis of Crohn's disease (CD) or ulcerative colitis for at least six months. Participants completed an Arabic translation of the IBD Disk prepared through forward-backward translation. Demographic, clinical, and lifestyle data were collected. Disability was defined as an IBD Disk total score >40. Logistic regression was used to identify factors independently associated with disability.

A total of 179 patients (59.2% CD, mean age 33.68 ± 12.27 years) participated. The prevalence of IBD-related disability was 58.1%, with a mean total IBD Disk score of 45.31 ± 23.20. Joint pain was the highest-scoring domain (6.06 ± 3.32), while sexual function scored lowest (2.46 ± 2.43). While azathioprine use (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 0.421, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.213-0.829, P = .012) was associated with lower disability, self-reported vitamin D deficiency in the preceding 3 months was associated with higher disability (aOR 2.932, 95% CI 1.066-8.060, P = .03). Among patients with CD, cigarettes smoked per day showed a weak positive correlation with IBD Disk scores.

High disability was common among Palestinian patients with IBD. Self-reported vitamin D deficiency in the preceding 3 months was associated with higher odds of high disability, whereas azathioprine use was associated with lower odds. Cigarettes smoked per day showed a weak positive correlation with disability scores among patients with CD, but smoking status was not independently associated with high disability.