Pathomorphosis of ulcerative colitis: from body weight deficiency to sarcopenic obesity

Abstract

In recent decades, there has been a steady increase in the number of patients with non-communicable chronic diseases in developed economic countries, which include all nosologies of metabolic syndrome and chronic inflammatory diseases. To date, there is no doubt that pro-inflammatory pathogenetic mechanisms and changes in intestinal microbiocenosis associated with obesity are promoters of many non-communicable diseases. The “Westernized” style of nutrition influences the intraspecific qualitative and quantitative diversity of the intestinal microbiome, leading to a change in the permeability of the intestinal barrier and triggering an immune response. Recent studies show that about 15-40 % of patients with inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) are obese, and another 20-40 % are overweight. The coexistence of inflammation, obesity and metabolic syndrome in patients with ulcerative colitis is becoming more and more frequent, meanwhile, there is a discrepancy between the severity of the disease and weight indicators, which may be unchanged and even exceed the norm. The effects associated with sarcopenia and sarcopenic obesity negatively affect the quality of life of patients with ulcerative colitis and long-term results. Sarcopenia acts as an independent predictor of surgical interventions in patients with IBD, is associated with high activity of the disease and with a higher frequency of postoperative complications, and is also a marker of the need for escalation of therapy. The general mechanisms of development indicate that the management of these conditions should be considered in a complex.