P746 Anthropometric measures in adolescents with inflammatory bowel disease: A population-based study

Abstract

Growth impairment is common in paediatric inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients. Nevertheless, a controversy exists regarding disease impact on final adult height. We investigated the impact of IBD on anthropometric measures, including weight, height and body mass index (BMI), at late adolescence in a cross-sectional, population-based study. A total of 1144213 Jewish Israeli adolescents who underwent a general health examination from 2002 to 2016 at a median age of 17.1 years (interquartile range 16.9–17.4) were included. IBD cases were stratified into Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC). Patients were also sub-grouped based on age at IBD diagnosis. Overall, 2372 cases of IBD were identified out of 1144213 persons examined (0.2%). CD accounted for 68% of IBD cases. Both UC and CD patients had significantly lower weight and BMI compared with controls. Differences in near-final height were not statistically significant for either disease compared with controls (Females: 162 cm vs. 161.7 cm vs. 161.5 cm, Males: 174 cm vs. 173.7 cm vs. 173.6 cm for controls, UC and CD, respectively). Subgroup analysis showed that patients with CD diagnosed at age< 14 years were significantly shorter than those diagnosed at age >14 years (CD: 172.9 cm vs. 173.9 cm for males, 160.5 cm vs. 161.8 cm for females, p < 0.05). The same was true for UC (173.9 cm vs. 173 cm for males, 161.6 cm vs. 160.9 cm for females, p < 0.05). IBD adolescents were leaner compared with the general population. No overall difference was noted in near-final height. Younger age at diagnosis is associated with slightly (though significantly) reduced near-final height.