title: Patients with chronic pancreatitis are at increased risk for osteoporosis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Patients with chronic pancreatitis may be at an increased risk of low bone density because of malabsorption of vitamin D and calcium, poor diet, pain, alcoholism, and smoking. We investigated the rates of osteoporosis in patients with chronic pancreatitis compared to matched controls.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study was cross sectional in design. Sixty-two patients (mean age, 47.9 years; 72.6% male) and 66 matched controls were recruited. Dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry, smoking, and socioeconomic data were recorded.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Thirty-four percent of patients had osteoporosis compared to 10.2% of controls. T-scores at the right femoral neck were lower in patients than controls (P = 0.005). Patients in the highest smoking tertile had the poorest T-scores at the lumbar vertebrae and total hip. Patients in the youngest age tertile had the highest T-scores (P = 0.003), but there was no sex difference.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Patient osteoporosis rates were triple that of controls, and almost 7 times what has been previously reported. Given the resource burden of osteoporosis, we suggest that routine bone density assessment is performed in patients with chronic pancreatitis.
authors: Centre for Pancreatico-Biliary Diseases, Department of Surgery, Trinity College Dublin, Tallaght, Dublin, Republic of Ireland. siduggan@tcd.ie
authors: Sinead N
authors: SN
authors: Duggan
authors: Maria
authors: M
authors: O'Sullivan
authors: Samuel
authors: S
authors: Hamilton
authors: Sinead M
authors: SM
authors: Feehan
authors: Paul F
authors: PF
authors: Ridgway
authors: Kevin C
authors: KC
authors: Conlon
mesh_terms: D015502:Absorptiometry, Photon; D000328:Adult; D015519:Bone Density; D002118:Calcium / Q000097:blood; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010024:Osteoporosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D019512:Pancreatitis, Alcoholic / Q000150:complications; D050500:Pancreatitis, Chronic / Q000150:complications*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014807:Vitamin D / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D014807:Vitamin D; C104450:25-hydroxyvitamin D; D002118:Calcium