The VALOR IBD study
Research type
Research Study
Full title
VALOR-IBD: Validation of Nutritional Risk Scores using Body Composition in Paediatric and Adult Inflammatory Bowel Disease
IRAS ID
361623
Contact name
Konstantinos Gerasimidis
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Glasgow
Duration of Study in the UK
4 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a long-term condition that causes inflammation in the gut. The two main types are Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. IBD affects both children and adults and can cause symptoms such as stomach pain, diarrhoea, fatigue, and weight loss. These symptoms can seriously affect daily life and overall health. One common problem in people with IBD is malnutrition, which can happen for several reasons including poor appetite, difficulty absorbing nutrients, and increased energy needs during disease flare-ups. Malnutrition is linked to complications such as delayed growth in children, poor response to treatment, higher risk of hospitalisation, and increased chances of needing surgery.
To help identify patients at risk of malnutrition, healthcare teams use nutrition screening tools — short checklists that look at weight, appetite, and recent illness. Two widely used tools are the Paediatric Yorkhill Malnutrition Score (PYMS) for children and the Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool (MUST) for adults. However, it's not clear how accurate these tools are for people with IBD, especially since they rely on weight and Body Mass Index (BMI), which may not reflect true nutritional health. For example, someone can have a normal weight but still have low muscle mass (called myopenia), which has been linked to poor treatment outcomes in IBD.
This study aims to test whether PYMS and MUST correctly identify malnutrition risk in both children and adults with IBD by comparing them with detailed body composition measurements. It will also explore whether body composition, such as the amount of muscle or fat, and malnutrition risk can help predict whether or not people will improve with drug treatment for IBD. The goal is to improve how we detect and manage nutritional risk in people with IBD, helping to guide better treatment decisions and improve long-term health outcomes.
REC name
Wales REC 5
REC reference
26/WA/0014
Date of REC Opinion
20 Jan 2026
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion