title: Body Mass Index Is Associated With Mucosal Disease in Crohn's: Results of a Case-Control Study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Recent studies have suggested that increased body mass index (BMI) may have an adverse effect on treatment outcomes and natural history in Crohn's disease (CD). We aimed to test the hypothesis that CD patients with higher BMI would be more likely than those with lower BMI to have persistent active mucosal disease.
  
  
  METHODS
  We designed a case-control study. Sample population comprised CD patients with active disease at the beginning of observation. At the end of observation, cases had persistent active mucosal disease and controls had entered remission. With multivariable logistic regression models, we evaluated the effect of baseline BMI as a continuous variable and a categorical variable on persistent active mucosal disease.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We analyzed data from 104 patients (36 cases and 68 controls). In a model containing BMI as a continuous variable, higher BMI was significantly associated with persistent active mucosal disease (odds ratio (OR) = 1.09 per unit increase; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.02 - 1.17; P = 0.012). In a model containing BMI as a categorical variable, obese patients were 2.7 times more likely to have persistent active mucosal disease compared to non-obese patients (OR = 2.72; 95% CI, 1.00 - 7.35; P = 0.049).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Excessive weight measured both quantitatively as BMI and categorically as obesity in CD patients is associated with persistent active mucosal disease.
authors: Department of Medicine-Gastroenterology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA; Department of Epidemiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA.
authors: Talha A
authors: TA
authors: Malik
authors: Department of Epidemiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA.
authors: Richard A
authors: RA
authors: Kaslow
authors: Department of Biostatistics, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA.
authors: Stacey S
authors: SS
authors: Cofield
authors: Department of Medicine-Gastroenterology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA.
authors: Peter J
authors: PJ
authors: Mannon
keywords: Body mass index; Crohn’s disease; Obesity