Survey of gastroenterologistsʼ awareness and implementation of AGA guidelines on osteoporosis in inflammatory bowel disease patients: Are the guidelines being used and what are the barriers to their use?

Abstract

Most of the responding physicians do not utilize the AGA Guidelines on metabolic bone disease in IBD patients. The physicians who self-reported utilizing the guidelines were actually adhering to the recommendations. Further education regarding the impact of metabolic bone disease in IBD patients and the importance of the guidelines is needed, particularly as it addresses the barriers set forth above.

Increased Fracture Risk and Osteoporosis Not Associated With Vitamin D Levels in Malaysian Patients With Inflammatory Bowel Disease

“…Many IBD patients are not screened for this condition, steroids are commonly used as maintenance therapy, dietary advice regarding calcium intake is often not given, and supplements are not prescribed. Even in the West where guidelines are available, studies have shown they are not widely adhered to (35). Our study highlights that our patients are at a very real risk of developing a significant complication in the form of fractures if these issues are not adequately addressed.…”

Fracture-Associated Hospitalizations in Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease

“…Targeting bone loss and prevention of age-, disease-, and treatment-related osteoporosis should be an important goal in IBD patients, as fractures in this cohort were more likely to be associated with a diagnosis of osteoporosis than in non-IBD control patients. With the interest in developing quality-of-care measures in IBD, emphasis should continue to be given to maintenance of bone health in patients with IBD, as studies show that, despite available guidelines, this problem is not being optimally managed [30]. Gastroenterologists should be aware of the risk factors for osteoporosis and be able to adopt measures to prevent or detect it in at-risk patients.…”

Assessment and management of low bone density in inflammatory bowel disease and performance of professional society guidelines1

“…Previous investigations have utilized physician surveys to determine adherence to DEXA use, although surveys may not reflect the true practice of healthcare delivery. 38,39 Our study also evaluated the effectiveness of the published criteria for DEXA testing.…”