SARS-CoV-2 Infection in Patients From Two Tertiary Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) Centres: Frequency of Suspected and Confirmed Infections, Severity and Outcome Management

Most of the inflammatory bowel disease (IBD: Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis) in a tertiary expert Centre are on immunosuppressive and/or biological therapy. Theoretically, these treatments may increase patients' risk of infection, in particular viral infection. Therefore, the current SARS-Cov-2 pandemia, with its unprecedent worldwide morbidity and mortality, may have a negative impact on IBD patients' clinical course. Identifying an increased risk in this particular patients' population as well as the risk/protective factors is of outstanding importance, in order to adapt their treatment and surveillance. As a consequence, our aims were (i) to measure retrospectively the risk of SARS-CoV-2 (proven by biological testing or suspected due to record of potential clinical symptoms of COVID-19 infection) in this patients' cohort (principal objective), (ii) to identify risk or protective factors for SARS-CoV-2 infection in IBD, and (iii) to analyze the outcome of patients in case of suspected or confirmed COVID-19. The results of this study may be important to adjust our surveillance and therapeutic strategy in these patients, in particular if high virus circulation will occur in the future.