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Bone mineral density in patients with Crohn's disease during long-term treatment with azathioprine

Florén, Claes-Henrik LU ; Ahrén, Bo LU ; Bengtsson, M ; Bartosik, Jacek LU and Obrant, Karl LU (1998) In Journal of Internal Medicine 243(2). p.123-126
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: To ascertain whether patients with Crohn's disease treated with azathioprine maintained bone mineral mass better than patients treated with steroids alone. DESIGN: Retrospective study. SETTING: University Hospital of Malmo, Sweden. SUBJECTS: A total of 59 patients with ileocolonic, ileocaecal or colonic Crohn's disease. METHODS: Bone mass was assessed by dual photon X-ray absorptiometry at the level of L2-L4. RESULTS: Patients treated with a high lifetime dose of steroids (> 5 g prednisolone) had significantly (P = 0.011) lower Z-score of L2-L4 (-0.87 +/- 1.11; 11 SD) than steroid-treated patients, who had received a low dose of prednisolone (< 5 g) (0.08 +/- 1.16 SD). Azathioprine did not negatively influence the steroid... (More)
OBJECTIVES: To ascertain whether patients with Crohn's disease treated with azathioprine maintained bone mineral mass better than patients treated with steroids alone. DESIGN: Retrospective study. SETTING: University Hospital of Malmo, Sweden. SUBJECTS: A total of 59 patients with ileocolonic, ileocaecal or colonic Crohn's disease. METHODS: Bone mass was assessed by dual photon X-ray absorptiometry at the level of L2-L4. RESULTS: Patients treated with a high lifetime dose of steroids (> 5 g prednisolone) had significantly (P = 0.011) lower Z-score of L2-L4 (-0.87 +/- 1.11; 11 SD) than steroid-treated patients, who had received a low dose of prednisolone (< 5 g) (0.08 +/- 1.16 SD). Azathioprine did not negatively influence the steroid effect on bone mineral density. CONCLUSIONS: Azathioprine does not seem to affect bone mineral density by itself. However, by being steroid-saving, it seems to conserve bone mineral mass in patients with Crohn's disease. (Less)
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author
; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
azathioprine, bone mineral density, corticosteroids, Crohn's disease, prednisolone
in
Journal of Internal Medicine
volume
243
issue
2
pages
123 - 126
publisher
Wiley-Blackwell
external identifiers
  • pmid:9566640
  • scopus:0031960528
ISSN
1365-2796
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
f7f4f1ae-2edd-4610-9195-479cbbc4c604 (old id 1113206)
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 16:27:19
date last changed
2024-01-04 22:15:08
@article{f7f4f1ae-2edd-4610-9195-479cbbc4c604,
  abstract     = {{OBJECTIVES: To ascertain whether patients with Crohn's disease treated with azathioprine maintained bone mineral mass better than patients treated with steroids alone. DESIGN: Retrospective study. SETTING: University Hospital of Malmo, Sweden. SUBJECTS: A total of 59 patients with ileocolonic, ileocaecal or colonic Crohn's disease. METHODS: Bone mass was assessed by dual photon X-ray absorptiometry at the level of L2-L4. RESULTS: Patients treated with a high lifetime dose of steroids (&gt; 5 g prednisolone) had significantly (P = 0.011) lower Z-score of L2-L4 (-0.87 +/- 1.11; 11 SD) than steroid-treated patients, who had received a low dose of prednisolone (&lt; 5 g) (0.08 +/- 1.16 SD). Azathioprine did not negatively influence the steroid effect on bone mineral density. CONCLUSIONS: Azathioprine does not seem to affect bone mineral density by itself. However, by being steroid-saving, it seems to conserve bone mineral mass in patients with Crohn's disease.}},
  author       = {{Florén, Claes-Henrik and Ahrén, Bo and Bengtsson, M and Bartosik, Jacek and Obrant, Karl}},
  issn         = {{1365-2796}},
  keywords     = {{azathioprine; bone mineral density; corticosteroids; Crohn's disease; prednisolone}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{2}},
  pages        = {{123--126}},
  publisher    = {{Wiley-Blackwell}},
  series       = {{Journal of Internal Medicine}},
  title        = {{Bone mineral density in patients with Crohn's disease during long-term treatment with azathioprine}},
  volume       = {{243}},
  year         = {{1998}},
}