Table 2.
Characteristics of the 64 patients with celiac disease on a gluten-free diet according to bone mineral density as assessed by dual energy X ray absorptiometry.
| Variables | Normal BMD n = 24 | Low BMD n = 40 | p | OR (95% CI) Adjusted a | p |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sex | |||||
| Male | 7 (29) | 11 (28) | 0.83 | 1.56 (0.41–5.86) | 0.51 |
| Female | 17 (71) | 29 (72) | |||
| Age, years | 30.1 ± 10.6 | 39.6 ± 9.5 | 0.0002 | 1.1 (1.03–1.18) | 0.004 |
| Age at diagnosis *, years | 20.1 ± 14.9 | 37.7 ± 11.9 | 0.0002 | - | - |
| BMI (Kg/m2) | 22.3 ± 1.7 | 21.7 ± 1.8 | 0.08 | 0.8 (0.6–1.17) | 0.31 |
| Smoke | 7 (29) | 12 (30) | 0.97 | 0.86 (0.23–3.15) | 0.82 |
| Clinical presentation b | |||||
| Malabsorption | 12 (50) | 24 (60) | 0.34 | 0.83 (0.18–3.66) | 0.81 |
| Diarrhea | 7 (29) | 9 (23) | 0.48 | ||
| Dyspepsia | 3 (13) | 4 (10) | 0.71 | ||
| Extraintestinal symptoms | 0 (0) | 2 (4) | 0.27 | ||
| Screen-detected | 2 (8) | 1 (3) | 0.26 | ||
| Duration of GFD c, years | 10.1 ± 7.6 | 7.2 ± 5.7 | 0.04 | 0.65 (0.19–2.18) | 0.48 |
CI = confidence interval; MVA = multivariate analysis; OR = odds ratio; SD = standard deviation; BMD = bone mineral density; BMI = body mass index; GFD = gluten-free diet. Values are numbers (%) or means ± SD as indicated. Means were compared with the use of a Student’s t-test and proportions with the use of a chi-square test or Fisher’s exact test. OR with 95% CI in brackets is given. * Due to collinearity with age, this variable entered a separate MVA with all other variables than age and leads to OR 1.09, 95% CI 1.03–1.16, p = 0.003, while the other variables did not reach the statistical significance (p > 0.05). a All variables except age at diagnosis (due to collinearity with age) entered MVA. Male gender, smoking, conventional clinical presentation, and patients with GFD ≤ 7 as references in MVA. b Clinical presentation entered MVA analysis as categorical variable, assuming malabsorption and diarrhea as conventional presentation and screen-detected, extraintestinal symptoms and dyspepsia as unusual presentation. c Duration of GFD entered MVA as categorical variable, subgrouping subjects with GFD ≤ 7 (n = 36) and those with GFD ≥ 8 (n = 28).