Increased fracture risk assessed by fracture risk assessment tool in Greek patients with Crohn's disease.

BACKGROUND: The World Health Organization has recently developed the fracture risk assessment tool (FRAX) based on clinical risk factors and bone mineral density (BMD) for evaluation of the 10-year probability of a hip or a major osteoporotic fracture. The aim of this study was to evaluate the use of the FRAX tool in Greek patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). METHODS: FRAX scores were applied to 134 IBD patients [68 Crohn's disease (CD); 66 ulcerative colitis (UC)] who underwent dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry scans at the femoral neck and lumbar spine during the period 2007-2012. Calculation of the FRAX scores, with or without BMD, was made through a web-based probability model used to compute individual fracture probabilities according to specific clinical risk factors. RESULTS: The median 10-year probability of a major osteoporotic fracture for IBD patients based on clinical data was 7.1%, and including the BMD was 6.2%. A significant overestimation with the first method was found (P = 0.01). Both scores with and without BMD were significantly higher in CD patients compared with UC patients (P = 0.02 and P = 0.005, respectively). The median 10-year probability of hip fracture based on clinical data was 0.8%, and including the BMD was 0.9%. The score with use of BMD was significantly higher in CD compared with UC patients (P = 0.04). CONCLUSIONS: CD patients have significantly higher FRAX scores and possibly fracture risk compared with UC patients. The clinical FRAX score alone seems to overestimate the risk of osteoporotic fracture in Greek IBD patients.

Role of ghrelin and insulin-like growth factor binding protein-3 in the development of osteoporosis in inflammatory bowel disease.

BACKGROUND: A high prevalence of bone loss is observed in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Leptin, ghrelin, insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-1, and IGF binding protein (IGFBP)-3 have been suggested to interfere in the bone metabolism. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of these peptides in the development of osteoporosis in IBD. METHODS: One hundred and eighteen consecutive IBD patients were included. All patients underwent bone densitometry by dual energy x-ray absorptiometry at the femoral neck and lumbar spine levels. Serum samples were collected from all patients and analyzed for concentrations of the aforementioned peptides by radioimmunoassay. RESULTS: Forty (33.9%) patients were normal, 55 (46.6%) were osteopenic, and 23 (19.5%) were osteoporotic. Positive statistically significant correlations were found between body mass index (BMI), leptin, IGFBP-3 levels, and the bone mineral density (BMD) of the femoral neck and lumbar spine. Moreover, an inverse statistically significant correlation was found between BMD of the femoral neck and the lumbar spine, and age, duration of the disease, and ghrelin levels. Multivariate analysis revealed that the most significant factors associated with the BMD were age and BMI. A weak but statistically significant correlation was found between IGFBP-3 and femoral neck BMD (P=0.045) and between ghrelin and spine BMD (P=0.039). No correlation was observed between leptin and BMD. CONCLUSIONS: Low BMI is the most important independent risk factor for osteoporosis in IBD patients. There is no independent influence of leptin but ghrelin and IGFBP-3 may play a role in the bone metabolism in the IBD.

Fluoroscopy-controlled voiding cystourethrography in infants and children: are the radiation risks trivial?

The purpose of this study was to determine the gonadal dose, effective dose and relevant radiogenic risks associated with pediatric patients undergoing voiding cystourethrography (VCUG). Exposure parameters were monitored in 118 consecutive children undergoing VCUG. The entrance surface dose (ESD) was determined by thermoluminescent dosimeters (TLDs). For male patients, the gonadal dose was determined by TLDs attached on the anterior scrotum. For female patients, the gonadal dose was estimated by converting ESD to the ovarian dose. ESD-to-ovarian dose conversion factors were determined by thermoluminescence dosimetry and physical anthropomorphic phantoms representing newborn and 1-, 5- and 10-year-old individuals. The effective dose was estimated by using ESD and data obtained from the literature. The mean fluoroscopy time and number of radiographs during VCUG were 0.73 min and 2.3 for female and 0.91 min and 3.0 for male pediatric patients, respectively. The gonadal dose range was 0.34-5.17 mGy in boys and 0.36-2.57 mGy in girls. The corresponding ranges of effective dosage were 0.12-1.67 mSv and 0.15-1.45 mSv. Mean radiation risks for genetic anomalies and carcinogenesis following VCUG during childhood were estimated to be up to 15 per million and 125 per million, respectively. Radiation risks associated with pediatric patients undergoing VCUG should not be disregarded if such a procedure is to be justified adequately.