Vaccination of Patients With Inflammatory Bowel Disease During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Sheena Crosby; Michael J Schuh; Freddy Caldera; Francis A Farraye

Vaccination of Patients With Inflammatory Bowel Disease During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Gastroenterol Hepatol (N Y). 2021 Jan;17(1):18-30.

Authors

Sheena Crosby¹, Michael J Schuh¹, Freddy Caldera², Francis A Farraye³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Pharmacy, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, Florida.
² Department of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin.
³ Inflammatory Bowel Disease Center, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, Florida.

PMID: 34035759
PMCID: PMC8132679

Abstract

Inflammatory bowel disease and the subsequent immunosuppressive regimens used to treat this condition increase the risk for acquiring viral and bacterial infections. Ensuring that patients are up-to-date with their immunizations may help prevent the development of several of these vaccine-preventable diseases. Therefore, it is imperative that gastroenterology providers offer vaccinations to patients or direct vaccination guidance to primary care providers to minimize the risk for vaccine-preventable diseases. To decrease the risk for co-infection in the setting of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic and avoid placing any further burden on the health care system, the call to immunize is more important than ever.

Keywords: COVID-19; Crohn’s disease; Vaccines; inflammatory bowel disease; preventive care; ulcerative colitis.