Addendum to S3-Guidelines Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis: Management of Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease in the COVID-19 Pandemic – open questions and answers
Andreas Stallmach, Andreas Sturm, Axel Dignaß, Torsten Kucharzik, Irina Blumenstein, Ulf Helwig, Sibylle Koletzko, Petra Lynen, Carsten Schmidt, Collaborators:
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic is a global outbreak of new onset infections with the SARS-CoV-2 virus. To date, more than 3.4 million people have been infected throughout the world. In Germany, approximately 450,000 patients suffer from inflammatory bowel disease; these patients generally require continuous expert care and support. Against the background of a rapidly accumulating knowledge base on SARS-CoV-2, 68 expert authors of the current DGVS guidelines for Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis took part in a virtual meeting to compile up-to-date, practice-orientated recommendations aimed at improving the care of patients with IBD. These recommendations address the risk of infection, including the risk for specific patient groups, the possible course of the disease, and consequences for pharmacological and surgical therapies of the underlying disease, as well as general measures for infection prevention and adjuvant prophylactic and therapeutic options.