Even Dar R, et al. – In this study involving patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), researchers determined clinical and genetic variables that contribute to lower bone mineral density (BMD). In addition, relationships between the different variables and BMD in the total hip, femoral neck, and lumbar spine were examined. The study sample consisted of 89 IBD patients treated in a tertiary referral center. Low body mass index, use of glucocorticoids, and a trend for the male sex were factors related to lower Z scores. For association with gastrointestinal surgery and smoking, low bone density showed borderline significance among patients with Crohn’s disease. Low 25OHD levels were not correlated with low BMD and were not related to Nucleotide-binding Oligomerization Domain-containing protein (NOD)2 mutations. There was no increased fracture rate among osteopenia or osteoporosis patients. Besides the generally accepted risk factors for osteoporosis (glucocorticoids, low body mass index, smoking), there was a trend towards lower BMD among male IBD patients. Carrying a NOD2 mutation did not result in a risk of bone loss.