Vitamin D status and risk for sarcopenia in youth with inflammatory bowel diseases

Suboptimal vitamin D (vitD) status and reduced lean body mass are highly prevalent in pediatric inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). The study objective was to determine sarcopenia prevalence and associations with vitD status in newly diagnosed pediatric IBD. Children with Crohn’s disease (CD; n = 58) and ulcerative colitis (UC; n = 27) were included. Primary outcomes included body composition (total/regional/percent fat mass (FM), fat-free mass (FFM), skeletal muscle mass (SMM)), and vitD status (serum 25(OH)D). Sarcopenia was defined as SMM-z < –2. Additional variables measured included serum CRP, ESR, anthropometric, Pediatric Crohn’s Disease Activity Index (PCDAI), and the Pediatric Ulcerative Colitis Disease Activity index (PUCAI). Sarcopenia and suboptimal 25(OH)D levels (< 50 nmol/l) were found in 23.5% (n = 20) and 52% (n = 44) of children, respectively. Younger children (< 13 years) with CD with suboptimal 25(OH)vitD (< 50 nmol/l) had the greatest frequency of sarcopenia (57.1%) (p = 0.004). Sarcopenia was prevalent in newly diagnosed, young children with CD with vitD deficiency.