Low BMD common in children, teenagers with inflammatory bowel disease

Children and teenagers with inflammatory bowel disease exhibit low bone mineral density, according to Swedish researchers.

Low BMD was reportedly evident in “around half” of 144 study participants with inflammatory bowel disease aged between 6 and 19 years, according to a University of Gothenburg press release. The findings emphasize the importance of treating underlying inflammatory bowel disease more effectively and measuring BMD in younger patients.

“The results of the study also underline the importance of optimizing the treatment of these patients to minimize the inflammation which is partly behind the low BMD,” Susanne Schmidt, a researcher at the Institute of Clinical Sciences, stated in the release.

Genetics play a role

“Possible risk factors for low BMD were more severe disease with increased inflammatory activity in the gut, male gender and low BMI,” Schmidt said.

The study also found that genetic factors played a major role in children’s BMD.

“We investigated the children’s biological parents and measured their BMD,” Schmidt said. “We found a clear correlation between the parents’ and the children’s BMD. Where both parents had a low BMD, a child was six times more likely to have a low BMD too.”

“A similar correlation has previously been described in healthy children and their parents,” she added.

Guidelines needed

The researchers noted that after 2 years, the BMD of the oldest patients in the study was “showing signs of recovery.” The team stated they will be investigating the finding more closely in a follow-up study.

Schmidt noted in the release that there is a lack of national or international guidelines for the monitoring of BMD in children and teenagers with inflammatory bowel disease. This points to a need to introduce checks on BMD — particularly in patients with risk factors like more active disease, low BMI or parents with low BMD.

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