Background: Accumulating evidence has proposed phase angle (PhA) as a marker for assessing cellular integrity and nutritional status in ulcerative colitis (UC) patients; the aim of the study was to evaluate the efficacy of PhA in assessing nutritional status in patients with UC, investigating its potential as a biomarker of disease activity. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study in patients with UC and healthy controls. We determined PhA by electrical bioimpedance and categorized participants through bioelectrical impedance analysis. They were classified as normal PhA > 6.1° and low PhA < 6.1° in men and normal PhA > 5.6° and low PhA < 5.6° in women. Results: PhA was significantly lower in UC patients than in controls (5.8 ± 0.8 vs. 6.6 ± 0.7°; p < 0.001). Among UC patients, participants with low PhA showed a decrease in lean, dry mass (LDM) (p < 0.001), total body water (p = 0.008), and intracellular water (p = 0.005), accompanied by an increase in extracellular water (p = 0.001) compared to UC patients with normal PhA. Conclusions: PhA significantly decreases in UC patients compared to healthy controls and is even more reduced when UC is active. A cut-off point of <6.1 for men and <5.6 for women could be suitable for nutritional diagnosis in patients with UC, but it still needs to be validated.

Fatigue is a common symptom in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). However, the prevalence is underestimated because it is not intentionally assessed during routine medical evaluation. Our study aimed to evaluate the prevalence and factors associated with fatigue in patients with IBD. A cross-sectional study was conducted in patients with ulcerative colitis and Crohn disease. We evaluated fatigue using the validated IBD questionnaire; a score of ≥1 in both sections was considered indicative of fatigue, and the severity increased with a higher score. A total of 109 patients were included in the study. Fatigue was reported in 102 (94%) patients, affecting 95% of men and 92% of women. The prevalence was 97% in Crohn disease and 92% in ulcerative colitis patients. Fatigue is more common in patients with active diseases, anemia, and those who are overweight or obese. Depression, hypoalbuminemia, and active disease were significantly associated with greater severity of fatigue; however, depression was the only independent predictor ( β = 16.094, p = .018). Nine out of 10 patients present some degree of fatigue, regardless of demographic characteristics, and depression is closely related to its severity.