An Updated Comparative Study on the Impact of COVID-19 Infection and Vaccination in Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease and Irritable Bowel Syndrome.

Background And Aims: This study assessed the differences in swabbing rates, vaccine uptake, COVID-19 infection, hospitalization rates and outcomes in patients suffering from inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) on immunomodulation and patients diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

Methods: A population consisting of 250 IBD and 250 IBS patients was randomly selected from the local database. Apart from demographic data, the following data was collected: number of COVID-19 swabs taken, vaccination rates, type of vaccine administered, infection secondary to COVID-19, hospitalization and outcomes.