Evaluation of bone mineral density in inflammatory bowel disease: current safety focus.

Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis constitute a group of disorders collectively known as inflammatory bowel disease. Men and women are equally affected, and no socioeconomic classes are spared. The age of disease onset is relatively young, frequently in the second and third decade of life. The constellation of nonspecific symptoms that constitute the prototypic symptoms of patients afflicted with inflammatory bowel disease are often overlooked and not attributed to their correct origin. These multisystem disorders commonly involve the musculoskeletal system. The skeletal system can be involved by the disease itself or by the medications used in the treatment of the disease. The finding of abnormal bone mineral density in patients with either ulcerative colitis or Crohn's disease is a relatively commonplace finding. This review discusses the pathophysiology involved in the formation of abnormal bone mineral density and the treatment of this condition in patients with inflammatory bowel disease.