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Vitamin D deficiency increases the risk of osteoporosis in IBD patients

Category: Vitamin D Deficiency-Diagnosis and Treatment

Individuals with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) may want to seek vitamin D testing, as a recent study has found that deficiencies of the nutrient may increase the risk of osteoporosis in these patients.

Individuals who have an IBD, which may include either Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis, are often less able to absorb nutrients. This puts them at a greater risk of several complications.

In the current study, researchers from Baylor College examined the medical records of 161 IBD patients. They found that a majority of the participants who had abnormal bone density levels also had low levels of vitamin D.

"Abnormal bone density was relatively high among our IBD patients with vitamin D deficiency irrespective to age," said Bincy Abraham, who led the study. "It remains important for those caring for IBD patients to evaluate for vitamin D nutritional deficiency and for its potential consequence of osteopenia or osteoporosis."

Rates of abnormal bone density were significantly higher among patients with Crohn's disease compared to those with ulcerative colitis.