Background and aim: Celiac disease is a risk factor for osteopenia and osteoporosis. Our aim was to evaluate the possible correlation between villous atrophy extension and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA)-derived parameters of bone status.
Methods: We have retrospectively analyzed data of 47 celiac patients (36 women, 52 ± 14 years of age) who underwent video capsule endoscopy and DXA scans within 1 year of interval from 2006 to 2019. Quantitative, qualitative and geometric DXA parameters were collected only from the most recent DXA measurements.
Results: . Patients were divided into three categories; the first included those with no lesions at video capsule endoscopy (23 patients), the second those with typical lesions (mucosal atrophy, mosaicism and scalloping) in less than one-third of the small bowel (SB) (16 patients) and the third those with typical lesions in more than one-third of the SB (7 patients). In the third group, bone mineral density seemed to be lower in both the lumbar spine and the hip ( P = 0.026 and P = 0.011, respectively). The deterioration of bone structure in patients with severe and extended SB atrophy was statistically significant ( P = 0.032). Furthermore, bone density, structure and geometry did not correlate with the duration of the gluten-free diet. Notably, autoimmune comorbidities did not affect DXA results.
Conclusion: Neither endoscopic nor histological atrophy itself can explain the deterioration of bone mineralization and structure, whereas atrophy extension appeared to be responsible for bone impairment.
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