Management of bone loss in inflammatory bowel disease.

Decreased bone mineral density, osteoporosis, is a common disorder in the United States and elsewhere in the world. This disorder is estimated to account for more than 1.5 million bone fractures each year and is estimated to cost over 13 billion dollars annually. Inflammatory Bowel Disease is a relatively common disorder with estimates suggesting that approximately one million Americans are afflicted by these conditions. Osteoporosis is a common extraintestinal complication of inflammatory bowel disease. The importance of the many possible mechanisms contributing to the loss of bone mass in IBD is uncertain. Several of these specific factors, including the use of corticosteroids, calcium deficiency, vitamin D deficiency, chronically active inflammatory bowel disease, and malnutrition. Assessment of the bone mineral density is an important exercise since new therapeutic options exist and new options are available to combat and even prevent this costly complication.