Relation between chemerin and visfatin serum levels and the bone mineral density in patients with inflammatory bowel diseases

Background Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is associated with a high prevalence of abnormal bone mineral density (BMD), via pro-inflammatory pathways, adipokines like visfatin and chemerin may be involved in bone loss. This study aimed to evaluate relationship between chemerin and visfatin levels and BMD in IBD patients and to determine their diagnostic value as non-invasive predictors of abnormal BMD. Methods A total 90 IBD patients (70 with ulcerative colitis and 20 with Crohn's disease) and ninety healthy controls matched for age and gender participated in this cross-sectional study. BMD was measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). ELISA was used to quantify chemerin and visfatin serum levels. To check diagnostic accuracy, ROC curve analysis was used. Results IBD patients had significantly higher levels of chemerin and visfatin than in controls ( p < 0.001 for both) with higher levels in active disease. In IBD patients, 66.66% had abnormal BMD (42.22% had osteopenia and 24.44% had osteoporosis). IBD patients with abnormal BMD had significantly higher chemerin and visfatin levels ( p < 0.001 for both) compared to normal. The sensitivity, specificity, and AUC of chemerin (cut-off 962.14 ng/ml) were 96.67%, 73.33%, and 0.884 ( p < 0.001) and of visfatin (cut-off 6.6177 ng/ml) were 93.33%, 78.33%, and 0.871 ( p < 0.001). Combination of both markers improved performance (AUC 0.944). Univariate analysis showed that older age, active disease, chemerin. and visfatin levels ( p = 0.002, 0.013, 0.006 and 0.003, respectively) were significantly associated with abnormal BMD. In multivariate analysis, none of these variables remained statistically significant after controlling for confounders. Conclusion A high chemerin and visfatin level was closely linked to decreased BMD in IBD patients. Their combination suggests potential as non-invasive biomarkers for early detection of bone disease risk in IBD. To validate their prognostic value and therapeutic implications, longitudinal studies are required.