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Background:Osteoporosis is as known a chronic complication of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). Its etiopathogenesis is often multifactorial.Objectives:The aim of our study was to describe the prevalence of reduced bone mineral density and to identify risk factors of osteoporosis in patients with inflammatory bowel diseases.Methods:This is a retrospective study over three years, collecting patients suffering from IBD and having benefited from a bone densitometry. We have specified for each patient the clinical data and the IBD characteristics. Bone mineral density (BMD, g/ cm) was assessed by dual X-ray absorptiometry. Osteoporosis was diagnosed when BMD was 2.5 standard deviations below the mean peak value in young adults (T score,22.5 SD). Patients with other pathology that may change the bone metabolism were excluded.Results:sixty-one patients were included with an average age of 38 ± 13 years [16-73]. The sex ratio M / F was 1.25. 69% of patients had ulcerative colitis. The bone density profile was normal in 49.2% of the cases. Osteoporosis and osteopenia were noted in 13.1% and 37.7% of patients, respectively. Osteoporosis was associated with advanced age (50.5 ± 16.5 years vs 36.26 ± 12.93 years; p = 0.007) and longer course disease (6.75 ± 7, 4 years vs 2.5 ± 4 years; p = 0.015). The cumulative dose of prednisone equivalent used in patients with osteoporosis was significantly higher than the other patients (2775 ± 3338 mg vs 706 ± 1449 mg; p = 0.003). Osteopenia was more frequently associated with crohn’s disease (58% vs 28.6% p = 0.0029). There was no significant difference between the group with osteoporosis or osteopenia and the group with normal bone densitometry for sex and body mass index.Conclusion:Osteoporosis during IBD is associated with advanced age, longer duration of illness and administration of high doses of corticosteroids. The high proportion of osteoporosis and osteopenia in our study underlines the importance of systematic BMD measurement in all IBD patients as a base for initiating the appropriate treatment.References:[1]The prevalence and risk factors for osteoporosis in patients with inflammatory bowel disease. Miznerova E et al. Bratisl Lek Listy. 2013;114(8):439-45.[2]Osteoporosis and inflammatory bowel disease: prevalence and risk factors in Tunisian patients. Boubaker J et al. Gastroenterol Clin Biol. 2003 Oct;27(10):901-7.Disclosure of Interests:None declared

Aim: Our objectives were to compare the frequency of alexithymia and the alteration of quality of life in irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and to determine the factors associated with alexithymia and quality of life deterioration. Method: This is a comparative study which collected 80 IBS patients and 80 controls. Results: Quality of life was impaired in 75% of patients vs 37.5% (p < 0.0001). The prevalence of alexithymia was 50% in patients vs 1.2% (p < 0.0001). In multivariate analysis, an impaired quality of life was associated with alexithymia (p = 0.003). The factors associated with impaired quality of life were anxiety and alexithymia. Conclusion: Alexithymia was present in half of patients with IBS and its was associated with impaired quality of life.

Background. Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) resistance to clarithromycin is increasing worldwide. Data on the prevalence of H. pylori resistance are limited in Tunisia. Gap statement. Given that H. pylori resistance to clarithromycin has not been studied in Tunisia since 2010, there was a need to determinate its prevalence and the principal mutations implicated in this resistance. Aim. The aims were to define the prevalence of H. pylori infection among symptomatic patients and to determinate the level of clarithromycin resistance among these patients and the main mutations conferring this resistance. Methods. We conducted a cross-sectional study from March 2017 to February 2020 in the Hepato-Gastroenterology Department of Hedi Chaker University Hospital in Sfax that included 124 Tunisian patients who underwent gastroduodenal endoscopy with biopsies. Mutations conferring resistance to clarithromycin were detected using the Allplex H. pylori and ClariR PCR Assay. Results. Out of 124 biopsies, 101 (81.5 2 %) were PCR-positive for H. pylori . Mutations conferring resistance to clarithromycin were detected in 30/95 (31.6 %) of patients. The rate of primary resistance was 25.3 % and of secondary resistance 62.5 %. The most frequently detected mutation was A2143G (86, 90%) followed by A2142G (11, 36%). Seven patients had a double mutation A2143G–A2142G. The factors independently associated with resistance to clarithromycin were diabetes, high blood pressure, the presence of a bulbar ulcer on endoscopy and the presence of gastric atrophy on histology. Conclusion. Detection of more than 25 % of strains with clarithromycin resistance mutations makes the H. pylori first-line treatment with clarithromycin questionable in our setting, and a review of empirical treatment of H. pylori is urgently needed.