Manipulating bone disease in inflammatory bowel disease patients

Abstract

Diagnostic and therapeutic recommendations of the actual guidelines regarding inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)-associated bone loss are based on the experiences from the general osteoporotic population. Moreover, the fracture, as an end point of the bone loss has a different relationship to the bone mineral density in these patients compared to the general population. In this review we aimed to review the literature of the novel therapeutic possibilities regarding IBD-related bone loss. Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry measurement should be performed in the presence of a risk factor such as age above 50, postmenopausal state, low trauma bone fracture in the history, corticosteroid therapy for more than 3 months or signs of hypogonadism. Serum Vitamin D and calcium levels should be measured in all patients. Supplementation is definitely needed in case of low serum calcium or Vitamin D concentrations and in patients under corticosteroid induction therapy. Short-term use of bisphosphonates in case of steroid induction was proved to be efficacious in preventing bone loss, but recent approvals do not include these indications. As fluorides and hormone replacement therapy have considerable side effects, their use in the young generation is also not acceptable.

Keywords Bone loss, inflammatory bowel disease, vitamin D, bisphosphonates, fluoride, hormone replacement therapy