Background: The British Society of Gastroenterology has published guidelines for the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis in patients with coeliac disease and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) (Gut2000;46(supp 1):i1-i8). This has important implications for the planning of clinical services, especially with the limited availability of DEXA scanning. We have undertaken a assessment of the need for DEXA scans in our gastroenterology out-patient population.

Methods: In a district general hospital, population 460,000, we identified all patients with coeliac disease and IBD attending all gastroenterology out-patient clinics (3.5 consultant gastroenterologists, total 6 clinics per week) over a one month period. We assessed the number of these patients who required DEXA scanning and further investigation according to the BSG …