COVID-19 Not Tied to Worse Inflammatory Bowel Disease Outcomes

FRIDAY, Nov. 18, 2022 (HealthDay News) — COVID-19 did not have a long-term impact on the disease course of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), according to a study published online Nov. 4 in Therapeutic Advances in Gastroenterology.

Simon J. Hong, M.D., from NYU Langone Health in New York City, and colleagues assessed the effect of COVID-19 on long-term outcomes of IBD. The analysis included 251 cases (45 percent ulcerative colitis; 55 percent Crohn disease) and 251 controls, with a median follow-up of 394 days.

The researchers found that the primary composite outcome of IBD-related hospitalization or surgery occurred in 29 cases (12 percent) versus 38 controls (15 percent). COVID-19 was not associated with an increased risk for adverse IBD outcomes (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.84; 95 percent confidence interval, 0.44 to 1.42). There were also no significant differences seen in adverse IBD outcomes based on COVID-19 severity (adjusted hazard ratios [95 percent confidence intervals], 2.43 [1.00 to 5.86] and 0.68 [0.38 to 1.23] for severe COVID-19 and mild-to-moderate COVID-19, respectively).

“In this multicenter study, COVID-19 did not alter the long-term course of IBD; however, severe COVID-19 may portend a worse IBD disease course and prognosis,” the authors write. “Risk mitigation and vaccination remain important strategies in the care of IBD patients during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.”

Several authors disclosed financial ties to the pharmaceutical industry.

Abstract/Full Text