Effect of inflammatory bowel disease and related medications on COVID-19 incidence, disease severity, and outcome: the Israeli experience

Objectives The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic raised concerns among inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients fearing an increased risk of infection and poor outcomes. We aimed to evaluate the incidence of COVID-19 among IBD patients; its influence on disease severity and outcome; its relationship to medication use and how the pandemic affected IBD management. Methods An anonymous questionnaire was posted online to members of the Israel Crohn’s Disease and Ulcerative Colitis Foundation (November 2020–January 2021). The questionnaire addressed the course of IBD disease and COVID-19 infection over the past year. Results Total 2152 IBD patients completed the questionnaire. Of which 104 (4.8%) had been infected with COVID-19, significantly lower than the ‘expected’ infected cases among the Israeli population (P = 0.033). The median age of participants was 39 years; 60.5% were female. Most patients (75.6%) had no comorbidities other than IBD. No correlation was found between IBD type or disease severity and COVID-19 infection. Most IBD patients reported mild COVID-19 disease, regardless of the type of IBD medications. Multivariable logistic regression analysis revealed that younger age, elevated BMI and diabetes were independent risk factors for COVID-19 infection. IBD treatment methods including 5-aminosalicylic acid, smoking and hypertension were protective factors. In total 25.2% of COVID-19 patients discontinued their IBD treatment...
Source: European Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology - Category: Gastroenterology Tags: Original articles: Gastroenterology Source Type: research