RESUMO
INTRODUCTION: The influence of a SARS-CoV-2 infection on inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) has not yet been well characterized and it is unclear whether this requires an adaptation of the immunosuppressive therapy. METHODS: A national register was established for the retrospective documentation of clinical parameters and changes in immunosuppressive therapy in SARS-CoV-2 infected IBD patients. RESULTS: In total, only 3 of 185 IBD patients (1.6â%) were tested for SARS-CoV-2 infection because of abdominal symptoms. In the course of COVID-19 disease, 43.5â% developed diarrhea, abdominal pain or hematochezia (risk of hospitalization with vs. without abdominal symptoms: 20.0â% vs. 10.6â%, pâ<â0.01). With active IBD at the time of SARS-CoV-2 detection, there was an increased risk of hospitalization (remission 11.2â%, active IBD 23.3â% pâ<â0.05). IBD-specific therapy remained unchanged in 115 patients (71.4â%); the most common change was an interruption of systemic therapy (16.2â%). DISCUSSION: New abdominal symptoms often appeared in SARS-CoV-2 infected IBD patients. However, these only rarely led to SARS-CoV-2 testing. A high IBD activity at the time of SARS-CoV-2 detection was associated with an increased risk of hospitalization.