IBD News
New recommendations for IBD patient during the COVID-19 Pandemic
Summarized from the International Organization for the Study of Inflammatory Bowel Disease
- IBD patients do not seem to be at any increased risk of contracting the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 pandemic, compared to people without IBD.
- In general, it is recommended in patients who are asymptomatic and at lower risk for COVID-19, to continue their current medications for IBD. The exception to this is of prednisone (see below).
- Taking prednisone at doses of greater than 20mg daily may be linked to a higher risk of contracting and having a more serious infection with COVID-19. Speak to your doctor right away if you can taper off these medications (do not discontinue yourself as this can be dangerous to do so)
- If you do develop COVID-19 infection, certain IBD medications including certain biologic drugs (injections/infusions) may need to be held for at least 14 days or until you recover and/or test negative for the corona virus. Speak to your gastroenterologist immediately if you do test positive or develop symptoms of a cough, fever, sore throat or shortness of breath.
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IBD Virtual Support Group
The Inflammatory Bowel Disease Support Group provides mutual support and information for IBD patients and their families. The group is facilitated by licensed clinical therapists and nurses. Discussion is focused on current issues faced by IBD patients and their support network. The support group will be conducted via Zoom. Instructions to join the support group will be emailed to you once you have registered.
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COVID-19 Notice: For the safety of our community, we are only offering live streaming and virtual classes at this time.
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