Assessing the repercussions of COVID-19 pandemic on symptoms, disease management, and emotional well-being in patients with inflammatory bowel disease: a multi-site survey study

Diet is a key modifier of risk of inflammatory bowel disease development and potentially a treatment option in patients with established disease. International organisations in gastroenterology and inflammatory bowel disease have published guidelines for the role of diet in disease onset and its management. Here, we discuss the major overarching themes arising from these guidelines and appraise recent literature on the role of diet for inflammatory bowel disease prevention, treatment of active disease and maintenance of remission, considering these themes. Except for exclusive enteral nutrition in active Crohn’s disease, we currently possess very little evidence to make any further dietary recommendations for the management of inflammatory bowel disease. There is also currently uncertainty on the extrapolation of epidemiological dietary signals on risk of disease development and preclinical experiments in animal models to management, once disease is established. Until high-quality evidence from clinical research becomes available, the only specific recommendations for inflammatory bowel disease we might safely give are those of healthy eating which apply for the general population for overall health and well-being.

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Coronavirus and Patients With Inflammatory Bowel Disease: Management Strategies for the Practicing Clinician

The American Journal of Gastroenterology ◽

10.14309/ajg.0000000000000817 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 115 (10) ◽

pp. 1566-1569

Author(s):

Gary R. Lichtenstein ◽

David T. Rubin

Keyword(s):

Inflammatory Bowel Disease ◽

Disease Management ◽

Bowel Disease ◽

Management Strategies ◽

Inflammatory Bowel

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Impact of COVID-19 on the Healthcare of Patients With Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Comparison Between Epicenter vs. Non-epicenter Areas

Frontiers in Medicine ◽

10.3389/fmed.2020.576891 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 7 ◽

Author(s):

Yun Qiu ◽

Ying-Fan Zhang ◽

Liang-Ru Zhu ◽

Jin-Shen He ◽

Jin-Yu Tan ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Inflammatory Bowel Disease ◽

Bowel Disease ◽

Elective Surgery ◽

Guangdong Province ◽

Hubei Province ◽

Survey Study ◽

Real World Setting ◽

Before And After ◽

Inflammatory Bowel ◽

The Impact

Background and Aims: The COVID-19 pandemic poses a great challenge to healthcare. We aimed to investigate the impact of COVID-19 on the healthcare of patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in epicenter and non-epicenter areas.Methods: Patients with IBD from Hubei province (the epicenter of COVID-19) and Guangdong province (a non-epicenter area), China were surveyed during the pandemic. The questionnaire included change of medications (steroids, immunomodulators, and biologics), procedures (lab tests, endoscopy, and elective surgery), and healthcare mode (standard healthcare vs. telemedicine) during 1 month before and after the outbreak of COVID-19.Results: In total, 324 IBD patients from Guangdong province (non-epicenter) and 149 from Hubei province (epicenter) completed the questionnaire with comparable demographic characteristics. Compared to patients in Guangdong province (non-epicenter), significantly more patients in Hubei (epicenter) had delayed lab tests/endoscopy procedures [61.1% (91/149) vs. 25.3% (82/324), p < 0.001], drug withdrawal [28.6% (43/149) vs. 9.3% (30/324), p < 0.001], delayed biologics infusions [60.4% (90/149) vs. 19.1% (62/324), p < 0.001], and postponed elective surgery [16.1% (24/149) vs. 3.7% (12/324), p < 0.001]. There was an increased use of telemedicine after the outbreak compared to before the outbreak in Hubei province [38.9% (58/149) vs. 15.4% (23/149), p < 0.001], while such a significant increase was not observed in Guangdong province [21.9% (71/324) vs. 18.8% (61/324), p = 0.38]. Approximately two-thirds of IBD patients from both sites agreed that telemedicine should be increasingly used in future medical care.Conclusions: Our patient-based survey study in a real-world setting showed that COVID-19 resulted in a great impact on the healthcare of patients with IBD, and such an impact was more obvious in the epicenter compared to the non-epicenter area of COVID-19. Telemedicine offers a good solution to counteract the challenges in an unprecedented situation such as COVID-19.

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Barriers to Psychosocial Support and Quality of Life for Patients With Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Survey Study

Crohn's & Colitis 360 ◽

10.1093/crocol/otaa068 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 2 (4) ◽

Author(s):

Rebecca Lawrence ◽

Cuckoo Choudhary

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Inflammatory Bowel Disease ◽

Bowel Disease ◽

Psychosocial Support ◽

Effective Means ◽

Survey Study ◽

Full Time ◽

Care Providers ◽

Inflammatory Bowel

Abstract Background Psychological comorbidities are common among people with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and are associated with worse disease outcomes. Evidence-based psychotherapy is an effective means to increase psychosocial support. This study aimed to identify the barriers to attending psychotherapy. Methods This electronic survey study included a demographic, quality of life, and barriers to psychotherapy questionnaire. Quality of life was assessed using the Short Inflammatory Bowel Disease Questionnaire (SIBDQ). Barriers were assessed using the Perceived Barriers to Psychological Treatments scale (PBPT). Linear regression was used to identify participant characteristics associated with higher PBPT scores. Results One hundred eighty-seven participants completed the study. Fifty-eight percent of participants had ≥1 significant barrier. Time (28%), knowledge about the availability of services (25%), and cost (19%) were the most common barriers. Least common were stigma (14%), lack of motivation (12%), and emotional concerns (7%). Lower SIBDQ scores, being male, not being full-time employed, having Crohn disease, and being in disease remission were associated with higher PBPT scores. Conclusions Knowledge about the availability of services, time constraints, and cost are the leading barriers to psychotherapy among people with IBD. Care providers should develop a network of psychotherapists available to those with IBD. Being male and not being full-time employed may be risk factors for greater barriers. Further research is needed on barriers among groups underrepresented in this study and on novel psychotherapy solutions, like telehealth and low-cost options.

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