Table 1.
Clinical, serological and histological features of adult coeliac patients (CD) classified on the basis of bone mineral density (BMD) results.
| Pts with normal BMD n = 85 (39.7%) | Pts with osteopenia n = 91 (42.5%) | Pts with osteoporosis n = 38 (17.8%) | p valuea | p valueb | p valuec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clinical features and lifestyle items | ||||||
| Female gender % | 82.3 | 69.2 | 52.6 | 0.05 | <0.001 | 0.10 |
| Age, median (range) | 38 (19–64) | 36 (18–72) | 48.5 (19–72) | 0.79 | <0.001 | <0.001 |
| BMI, kg/m2, median (range) | 22.8 (16.8–38.2) | 21.05 (16.7–32.8) | 19.8 (16–28.5) | 0.001 | <0.001 | 0.16 |
| Underweight (BMI ≤ 18.5 kg/m2) % | 6.2 | 20.5 | 30.5 | 0.01 | <0.001 | 0.25 |
| GI symptoms leading to CD diagnosis % | 38.8 | 57.1 | 65.8 | 0.02 | 0.03 | 0.84 |
| Anaemia % | 52.4 | 52.9 | 45.9 | 1 | 0.56 | 0.56 |
| Presence of symptoms ≥5 years before CD diagnosis % | 38 | 32.4 | 35.5 | 0.98 | 1 | 0.80 |
| Familiarity for coeliac disease % | 17.8 | 17.9 | 11.1 | 1 | 0.42 | 0.43 |
| Post-menopausal female % | 4.8 | 3.3 | 23.7 | 0.71 | <0.001 | <0.001 |
| Autoimmune comorbidities % | 31.3 | 31.8 | 30.5 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Previous bone fractures % | 14.3 | 20.5 | 41.9 | 0.38 | 0.004 | 0.03 |
| Drugs % | 2.4 | 4.6 | 2.6 | 0.68 | 1 | 1 |
| Smoking % | 28 | 29 | 34.2 | 1 | 0.52 | 0.67 |
| Alcohol (≥3 units daily) % | 1.2 | 4.6 | 10.5 | 0.37 | 0.03 | 0.25 |
| Serological parameters | ||||||
| Positivity to anti-EMA and/or TTG IgA autoantibodies % | 84.7 | 89.1 | 86.8 | 0.50 | 1 | 0.72 |
| Increased PTH values % | 19.7 | 31.1 | 54.3 | 0.13 | <0.001 | 0.03 |
| Ferritin, ng/ml, median (range) | 11 (1–186) | 9 (2–188) | 9.5 (2-89) | 0.59 | 0.47 | 0.86 |
| Cholesterol, mg/ml, median (range) | 171 (100–257) | 168 (98–280) | 168 (93-246) | 0.41 | 0.36 | 0.73 |
| Triglycerides, mg/ml, median (range) | 64.5 (28–160) | 70 (30–216) | 76 (36-171) | 0.47 | 0.06 | 0.18 |
| Albumin, g/dl, median (range) | 4.1 (3.1–5.0) | 4.2 (3.0–5.6) | 4.05 (1.6-4.9) | 0.51 | 0.25 | 0.42 |
| Histology | ||||||
| Marsh 3C % | 42.3 | 54.9 | 55.3 | 0.23 | 0.24 | 0.70 |
Pts: patients; BMI: body mass index; EMA: Anti-endomysium immunoglobulin A antibodies; tTG: anti-transglutaminase immunoglobulin A antibodies; GI: gastrointestinal; PTH: parathormone.
a
Normal BMD vs osteopenia. bNormal BMD vs osteoporosis. cOsteopenia vs osteoporosis.