Does Folic Acid Protect Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease from Complications?

Folic acid, referred to as vitamin B9, is a water-soluble substance, which participates in the synthesis of nucleic acids, amino acids, and proteins. Similarly to B12 and B6, vitamin B9 is involved in the metabolism of homocysteine, which is associated with the MTHFR gene. The human body is not able to synthesize folic acid; thus, it must be supplemented with diet. The most common consequence of folic acid deficiency is anemia; however, some studies have also demonstrated the correlation between low bone mineral density, hyperhomocysteinemia, and folic acid deficiency. Patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) frequently suffer from malabsorption and avoid certain products, such as fresh fruits and vegetables, which constitute the main sources of vitamin B9. Additionally, the use of sulfasalazine by patients may result in folic acid deficiency. Therefore, IBD patients present a higher risk of folic acid deficiency and require particular supervision with regard to anemia and osteoporosis prevention, which are common consequences of IBD.

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Utilization of Preventive Measures for Glucocorticoid-Induced Osteoporosis among Veterans with Inflammatory Bowel Disease

ISRN Gastroenterology ◽

10.1155/2013/862312 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 2013 ◽

pp. 1-5 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Aikaterini Thanou ◽

Tauseef Ali ◽

Omar Haq ◽

Sindhu Kaitha ◽

Jordan Morton ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Inflammatory Bowel Disease ◽

Bowel Disease ◽

Medical Center ◽

Standard Of Care ◽

Patient Characteristics ◽

Physician Education ◽

Osteoporosis Prevention ◽

Mineral Density ◽

Bmd Testing ◽

Inflammatory Bowel

Purpose. We examined current osteoporosis prevention practices in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) on chronic steroid using the 2003 American Gastroenterological Association guidelines as standard of care. Methods. We identified all IBD patients followed at the Oklahoma City VA Medical Center from January 2003 to December 2010, who had been on daily oral steroids (prednisone ≥5 mg or budesonide ≥6 mg) for ≥3 consecutive months. Associations of calcium and vitamin D (vitD) prescribing and bone mineral density (BMD) testing with patient characteristics were examined by logistic regression. Results. Sixty-three of 384 consecutive patients met inclusion criteria. Among 86 steroid courses, calcium and vitD were concurrently prescribed in 46%, and BMD was tested in 30%. There was no association of demographic and clinical characteristics with calcium/vitD prescribing and BMD testing. By multivariate analysis, steroid initiation after 2006, compared to before 2006, was associated with a significant increase in calcium (OR = 3.17 and P=0.02) and vitD (OR = 2.96 and P=0.02) prescribing and BMD testing (OR = 4.63 and P=0.004). Conclusions. We observed a low, yet increasing, adherence to osteoporosis prevention guidelines in IBD since 2003, which highlights the need for continued physician education to enhance guideline awareness and implementation.

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Low bone mineral density in association with increased bone resorbtion in patient with inflammatory bowel disease at diagnosis

Gastroenterology ◽

10.1016/s0016-5085(01)83123-1 ◽

2001 ◽

Vol 120 (5) ◽

pp. A628-A628

Author(s):

T WONG ◽

D SMITH ◽

D SIMPSON ◽

A COAKLEY ◽

C MONIZ ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Bone Mineral Density ◽

Inflammatory Bowel Disease ◽

Bone Mineral ◽

Bowel Disease ◽

Mineral Density ◽

Low Bone Mineral Density ◽

Inflammatory Bowel

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Bone mineral density and fractures in pediatric inflammatory bowel disease

Bone Abstracts ◽

10.1530/boneabs.2.is12 ◽

2013 ◽

Author(s):

Schmidt Susanne

Keyword(s):

Bone Mineral Density ◽

Inflammatory Bowel Disease ◽

Bone Mineral ◽

Bowel Disease ◽

Mineral Density ◽

Pediatric Inflammatory Bowel Disease ◽

Inflammatory Bowel

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Folic Acid in Pediatric Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Case Medical Research ◽

10.31525/ct1-nct03860012 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Keyword(s):

Inflammatory Bowel Disease ◽

Folic Acid ◽

Bowel Disease ◽

Pediatric Inflammatory Bowel Disease ◽

Inflammatory Bowel

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SAT0462 ASSESSMENT OF BONE MINERAL DENSITY IN INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASE

Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases ◽

10.1136/annrheumdis-2020-eular.6007 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 79 (Suppl 1) ◽

pp. 1188.1-1188

Author(s):

C. Daldoul ◽

N. El Amri ◽

K. Baccouche ◽

H. Zeglaoui ◽

E. Bouajina

Keyword(s):

Bone Mineral Density ◽

Inflammatory Bowel Disease ◽

Bone Mineral ◽

Bowel Disease ◽

Mineral Density ◽

Femoral Site ◽

Significant Difference ◽

History Of ◽

Inflammatory Bowel ◽

The Mean

Background:Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), including ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn’s disease (CD), is considered as a risk factor of low bone mineral density (BMD). In fact, the prevalence of osteoporosis ranges from 17% to 41% in IBD patients. The possible contributing factors may include malabsorption, glucocorticoid treatment and coexisting comorbiditiesObjectives:The purpose of our work was to determine the frequency and the determinants of osteoporosis in patients with IBD and to assess whether there is a difference in BMD status between UC and CD.Methods:This is a retrospective study, over a period of 5 years (from January 2014 to December 2018) and including patients followed for IBD who had a measurement of BMD by DEXA. Clinical, anthropometric and densitometric data (BMD at the femoral and vertebral site) were recorded. The WHO criteria for the definition of osteoporosis and osteopenia were applied.Results:One hundred and five patients were collected; among them 45 were men and 60 were women. The average age was 45.89 years old. The average body mass index (BMI) was 25.81 kg/m2 [16.44-44.15]. CD and UC were diagnosed in respectively 57.1% and 42.9%. A personal history of fragility fracture was noted in 4.8%. Hypothyroidism was associated in one case. Early menopause was recorded in 7.6%. 46.8% patients were treated with corticosteroids. The mean BMD at the vertebral site was 1.023 g/cm3 [0.569-1.489 g/cm3]. Mean BMD at the femoral site was 0.920g/cm3 [0.553-1.286g / cm3]. The mean T-score at the femoral site and the vertebral site were -1.04 SD and -1.27 SD, respectively. Osteoporosis was found in 25.7% and osteopenia in 37.1%. Osteoporosis among CD and UC patients was found in respectively 63% and 37%. The age of the osteoporotic patients was significantly higher compared to those who were not osteoporotic (52.23 vs 43.67 years, p = 0.01). We found a significantly higher percentage of osteoporosis among men compared to women (35.6% vs 18.3%, p=0.046). The BMI was significantly lower in the osteoporotic patients (23.87 vs 26.48 kg/m2, p=0.035) and we found a significant correlation between BMI and BMD at the femoral site (p=0.01). No increase in the frequency of osteoporosis was noted in patients treated with corticosteroids (27.9% vs 21.6%, p=0.479). Comparing the UC and CD patients, no difference was found in baseline characteristics, use of steroids or history of fracture. No statistically significant difference was found between UC and CD patients for osteoporosis(p=0.478), BMD at the femoral site (p=0.529) and at the vertebral site (p=0.568).Conclusion:Osteoporosis was found in 25.7% of IBD patients without any difference between CD and UC. This decline does not seem to be related to the treatment with corticosteroids but rather to the disease itself. Hence the interest of an early screening of this silent disease.Disclosure of Interests:None declared

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