Epstein-Barr Virus Status and Subsequent Thiopurine Exposure Within a Paediatric Inflammatory Bowel Disease Population.

The use of thiopurine therapy in Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-naïve inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients remains controversial due to a risk of EBV-associated complications. We evaluated EBV status and outcomes within our paediatric IBD population over an 8-year period; finding that 217 of 409 (53%) screened patients were seropositive for EBV at IBD diagnosis; that thiopurines were used in 189 of 217 (87%) seropositive and 159 of 192 (83%) seronegative patients (P = 0.22); and that 7 of 192 (4%) previously seronegative patients subsequently tested positive for EBV with 6 of 7 (86%) patients having concurrently recorded thiopurine use.

A Decade of Varicella Screening Within a Paediatric Inflammatory Bowel Disease Population.

Introduction: Increased risk of opportunistic infection-e.g., varicella zoster infection-secondary to therapies is a cause of morbidity in inflammatory bowel disease [IBD] patients.