ESPE Abstracts

Background: Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic condition marked by immune-mediated inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract, significantly affecting bone growth and bone mineral density (BMD).

Objective: This study aims to evaluate BMD in pediatric patients with IBD.

Methods: The study involved thirty children diagnosed with IBD attending the Alexandria University Children’s Hospital gastroenterology clinic. BMD was measured using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scans of the lumbar spine, femur neck (FN), and total body less head (TBLH).

Results: Out of the 30 IBD cases, 18 were diagnosed with Crohn’s disease (CD) and 12 with ulcerative colitis (UC). The average age at diagnosis was 10.13 ± 3.49 years. The median age at the time of the BMD scans was 12.25 years (interquartile range IQR, 10–14 years). The most common symptom was chronic diarrhea, present in 76.7% of the cases, followed by abdominal pain (63.3%) and rectal bleeding (60%). The mean BMD Z-scores for the lumbar spine, FN, and TBLH were -1.29 ± 1.03, -1.37 ± 0.77, and -1.37 ± 0.87, respectively. Low BMD Z-scores (< -1) were most frequently observed at the lumbar spine (76.6%), followed by the FN (66.7%) and TBLH (63.3%).

Conclusion: This study reveals a high prevalence of low BMD in children with IBD.