Calcium deficiency is associated with malnutrition risk in patients with inflammatory bowel disease

Abstract

ABSTRACT Background and Aim Patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) often have the condition of malnutrition, which can be presented as sarcopenia, micronutrient deficiencies, etc. Trace elements (magnesium, calcium, iron, copper, zinc, plumbum and manganese) belonging to micronutrients, are greatly vital for the assessment of nutritional status in humans. Trace element deficiencies are also the main manifestation of malnutrition. Calcium (Ca) has been proved to play an important part in maintaining body homeostasis and regulating cellular function. However, there are still a lack of studies on the association between malnutrition and Ca deficiency in IBD. This research aimed to investigate the role of Ca for malnutrition in IBD patients. Methods We prospectively collected blood samples from 149 patients and utilized inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry to examine their venous serum trace element concentrations. Logistic regression analyses were used to investigate the association between Ca and malnutrition. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were generated to calculate the cutoffs for determination of Ca deficiency. Results Except Ca, the concentrations of the other six trace elements presented no statistical significance between non-malnutrition and malnutrition group. In comparison with non-malnutrition group, the serum concentration of Ca decreased in malnutrition group (89.36 vs 87.03 mg/L, p = 0.023). With regard to ROC curve, Ca <87.21 mg/L showed best discriminative capability with an area of 0.624 (95% CI: 0.520, 0.727, p = 0.023). Multivariate analyses demonstrated that Ca <87.21 mg/L (OR = 3.393, 95% CI:1.524, 7.554, p = 0.003) and age (OR = 0.958, 95% CI:0.926, 0.990, p = 0.011) were associated with malnutrition risk. Serum Ca levels were significantly lower in malnutrition group than those in non-malnutrition group among UC patients, those who with severe disease state or the female group. Conclusions In patients with IBD, Ca deficiency is an independent factor for high malnutrition risk.