Serum beta-crosslaps concentration and its correlation to the bone mineral density of patients with inflammatory bowel disease

Abstract

Background: Patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) have decreased bone mineral density (BMD). According to the reported data, the metabolic bone disorder of patients with Crohn's disease (CD) is more severe than that of patients with ulcerative colitis (UC). Beta-CrossLaps is a C-telopeptide breakdown product of type 1 collagen, reflecting the bone resorption. Aims: The aim of the present study was to determine the clinical relevance of serum beta-CrossLaps (bCL) measurement in patients with inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). Patients and methods: 50 IBD patients (27 UC, 23 CD) and 45 healthy controls (HC) were studied. The male/female ratio was 28/22 in the IBD group, and 12133 in the HC group. The mean age in IBD and HC groups were 37.5 and 31.5 years, resp. Bone mineral density of the lumbar spine. femoral neck and the distal third of radius was measured by DEXA method (Hologic QDR 4500C). Serum bCL was determined by immunoassay (Elecsys, Roche). Results: Serum bCL levels of healthy subjects (0.276~0.146: meanz Sfr) were within the reference range provided by the manufacturer (0-0.35 ng/ml). The difference in bCL concentration between the CD and HC groups was significant (0.425~0.27 vs. 0.276~ 0.146; p=0.007), while the bCL levels ofUC and HC groups was not different (0.278~0.208 vs. 0.276 ~0.146). Serum bCL levels and the lumbar spine BMD z-scores corraleted significantly in patients with CD (r= 0.51, p=0.019). There were no significant correlations between the serum bCL and z-scores at the femoral neck and the distal third of radius in patients with CD and UC, resp. Conclusion: There is a significant correlation between serum bCL concentration and the bone mineral density of CD patients. Serum bCL level correlates to the bone mineral density of the lumbar spine (z-score). Serum bCL measurement may be a useful laboratory marker for the assessment of the metabolic bone disease in patients with lBO, particularly in those with CD.