COVID-19 Vaccine Is Effective in Inflammatory Bowel Disease Patients and Is Not Associated With Disease Exacerbation.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Studies have shown decreased response to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccinations in some populations. In addition, it is possible that vaccine-triggered immune activation could trigger immune dysregulation and thus exacerbate inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). In this population-based study we used the epi-Israeli IBD Research Nucleus validated cohort to explore the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccination in IBD and to assess its effect on disease outcomes. METHODS: We included all IBD patients insured in 2 of the 4 Israeli health maintenance organizations, covering 35% of the population. Patients receiving 2 Pfizer-BioNTech BNT162b2 vaccine doses between December 2020 and June 2021 were individually matched to non-IBD controls. To assess IBD outcomes, we matched vaccinated to unvaccinated IBD patients, and response was analyzed per medical treatment. RESULTS: In total, 12,109 IBD patients received 2 vaccine doses, of whom 4946 were matched to non-IBD controls (mean age, 51 ± 16 years; median follow-up, 22 weeks; interquartile range, 4-24). Fifteen patients in each group (0.3%) developed COVID-19 after vaccination (odds ratio, 1; 95% confidence interval, 0.49-2.05; P = 1.0). Patients on tumor necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitors and/or corticosteroids did not have a higher incidence of infection. To explore IBD outcomes, 707 vaccinated IBD patients were compared with unvaccinated IBD patients by stringent matching (median follow-up, 14 weeks; interquartile range, 2.3-20.4). The risk of exacerbation was 29% in the vaccinated patients compared with 26% in unvaccinated patients (P = .3). CONCLUSIONS: COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness in IBD patients is comparable with that in non-IBD controls and is not influenced by treatment with TNF inhibitors or corticosteroids. The IBD exacerbation rate did not differ between vaccinated and unvaccinated patients.

Development and Validation of the IBD-REFER Criteria: Early Referral for Suspected Inflammatory Bowel Diseases in Adults and Children.

Background: Early treatment of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is associated with positive outcomes but a significant diagnostic delay has been reported in most countries. Aim: We aimed to develop and validate IBD-REFER criteria, intended for primary care physicians, to screen patients at risk for IBD. Methods: A Delphi group of 10 experts generated a list of symptoms associated with the onset of IBD, supplemented by a review of the literature. The list was reduced in an iterative process and graded based on importance. For data-driven statistical formatting, the charts of 200 IBD (100 children, 100 adults) and 100 non-IBD controls but with gastrointestinal symptoms were reviewed. The IBD-REFER items were scored for each subject, as well as the contending Red Flag criteria from the International Organization for the Study of IBD. External validation was performed on additionally enrolled cohorts of 100 IBD patients and 50 controls. Results: The Delphi process retained 5 items as major criteria (≥1 item required for early referral) and 11 as minor (≥2 items required). Following the removal of uninformative items and further formatting in the data-driven stage, 10 core items were retained: 3 as major and 7 as minor. In the external validation, the final IBD-REFER criteria had a sensitivity/specificity of 98%/96% in adults and 96%/96% in children, significantly higher than achieved by the Red Flag criteria (71%/84% and 60%/88%, respectively; P < 0.001). Conclusion: The IBD-REFER criteria may guide the selection of patients for expedited gastrointestinal investigation.

Endobronchial echinococcosis presenting as non-resolving pneumonia.

Hydatid disease of the lungs is caused by larval cysts of the Echinococcus tapeworm. Pulmonary cysts may occasionally invade bronchi or pleura as a result of coughing, trauma, or elevated intra-abdominal pressure. We present the case of a patient evaluated for non-resolving pneumonia whose radiographic and bronchoscopic findings were strikingly similar to those seen in pulmonary tuberculosis with endobronchial invasion; he was ultimately diagnosed with pulmonary echinococcosis. This case underscores the importance of considering unusual diagnoses even when typical features of more common conditions are present.