Disability among Palestinian patients with inflammatory bowel disease: evaluation using the IBD Disk and identification of associated factors.

Background: Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) can substantially impair daily functioning, yet disability prevalence and determinants remain underexplored in Palestine. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of IBD-related disability using the IBD Disk tool and to identify risk factors associated with high disability among Palestinian patients. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among patients with a confirmed diagnosis of Crohn's disease (CD) or ulcerative colitis for at least six months. Participants completed an Arabic translation of the IBD Disk prepared through forward-backward translation. Demographic, clinical, and lifestyle data were collected. Disability was defined as an IBD Disk total score >40. Logistic regression was used to identify factors independently associated with disability. Results: A total of 179 patients (59.2% CD, mean age 33.68 ± 12.27 years) participated. The prevalence of IBD-related disability was 58.1%, with a mean total IBD Disk score of 45.31 ± 23.20. Joint pain was the highest-scoring domain (6.06 ± 3.32), while sexual function scored lowest (2.46 ± 2.43). While azathioprine use (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 0.421, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.213-0.829, Conclusions: High disability was common among Palestinian patients with IBD. Self-reported vitamin D deficiency in the preceding 3 months was associated with higher odds of high disability, whereas azathioprine use was associated with lower odds. Cigarettes smoked per day showed a weak positive correlation with disability scores among patients with CD, but smoking status was not independently associated with high disability.