Turkish IBD Organization’s Position Statement on Inflammatory Bowel Disease Management Recommendations During COVID-19 Pandemic

• Published in: The Turkish Journal of Gastroenterology Vol. 32; no. 6; pp. 488 - 492
• Main Authors: Toruner, Murat, Kalkan, Ismail Hakki, Akyuz, Filiz, Tezel, Ahmet, Celik, Aykut Ferhat
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Turkey AVES Yayincilik A.S 01.06.2021; Turkish Society of Gastroenterology
• Subjects: Care and treatment; Control; COVID-19 - diagnosis; COVID-19 - immunology; COVID-19 - therapy; COVID-19 Vaccines - immunology; Drug Administration Schedule; Epidemics; Humans; Immunocompromised Host; Immunosuppressive Agents - therapeutic use; Inflammatory bowel diseases; Inflammatory Bowel Diseases - complications; Inflammatory Bowel Diseases - drug therapy; Inflammatory Bowel Diseases - immunology; Position Statement; Practice guidelines (Medicine); Prognosis; Risk Factors; Turkey; Withholding Treatment; Turkey
• ISSN: 1300-4948; 2148-5607; 2148-5607
• DOI: 10.5152/tjg.2021.280721

The COVID-19 pandemic, caused by the novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, has resulted in high mortality and morbidity worldwide and is still a growing problem. Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic inflammatory disease for which a substantial number of patients are treated with immunosuppressive medications, either occasionally or long-term. Despite the accumulating evidence, there is still a lack of knowledge about the impact of COVID-19 on IBD patients, especially those who are under immunosuppressive treatment. Moreover, following the emergence of several COVID vaccines, there are concerns regarding vaccine effectiveness and possible side effects in such patients. In this context, we tried to briefly summarize the accumulating evidence and recommendations for the management of IBD in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.