Institute of Gastroenterology, Nutrition and Liver Diseases, Schneider Children's Medical Center, Petach Tikva, Israel.
Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.
Pediatr Res. 2021 Sep;90(3):637-641. doi: 10.1038/s41390-020-01312-6. Epub 2021 Jan 14.
The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic affects medical care worldwide, including patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Thus, we aimed to assess its impact on health care provision, fear of infection, adherence to medical treatment, and compliance with preventative instructions in children and adolescents with IBD.
A cross-sectional telephonic survey using a Likert scale-based questionnaire was conducted among all pediatric patients with IBD from a single tertiary medical center.
A total of 244 pediatric patients with IBD were included in the study, reporting a high rate of fear of severe COVID-19 infection due to IBD or IBD medications (198, 81.1%). Most of the patients obeyed the Ministry of Health instructions (228, 93.4%), while almost 50% took additional protective measures including avoidance of school and complete lockdown. Concerns regarding the attendance of regular clinics (116, 47.5%) and emergency room in case of IBD exacerbation (178, 73%) were frequently reported. Only 7 patients (2.9%) changed or discontinued their IBD treatment due to COVID-19.
We noted several distinct features of the COVID-19 pandemic effect on pediatric patients with IBD including a high rate of fear of severe COVID-19 infection, fear of attending necessary medical facilities, and high rate of avoidance of social activities.
Pediatric patients with IBD have a high rate of fear of severe COVID-19 infection, fear of attending necessary medical facilities, and a high rate of avoidance of social activities. Medication adherence rate in pediatric patients with IBD during the pandemic is similar to the adherence rate among adults with IBD. Almost 50% of pediatric patients with IBD took additional protective measures including avoidance of school and voluntary lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic.
冠状病毒病（COVID-19）大流行影响全球的医疗保健，包括炎症性肠病（IBD）患者。因此，我们旨在评估其对儿童和青少年 IBD 患者的医疗服务提供、感染恐惧、对药物治疗的坚持以及对预防措施的遵守情况的影响。
使用基于李克特量表的问卷对来自一家三级医疗中心的所有儿科 IBD 患者进行了横断面电话调查。
共有 244 名儿科 IBD 患者纳入本研究，报告因 IBD 或 IBD 药物而对严重 COVID-19 感染的恐惧率较高（198 例，81.1%）。大多数患者遵守卫生部的指示（228 例，93.4%），而近 50%的患者采取了额外的保护措施，包括避免上学和完全封锁。经常报告对定期就诊（116 例，47.5%）和 IBD 加重时去急诊室（178 例，73%）的担忧。由于 COVID-19，只有 7 名患者（2.9%）改变或停止了 IBD 治疗。
我们注意到 COVID-19 大流行对儿科 IBD 患者的几个不同特征，包括对严重 COVID-19 感染的恐惧率高、对必需医疗设施的恐惧、以及对社会活动的回避率高。
儿科 IBD 患者对严重 COVID-19 感染的恐惧率高、对必需医疗设施的恐惧、以及对社会活动的回避率高。在大流行期间，儿科 IBD 患者的药物依从率与 IBD 成年患者的依从率相似。在 COVID-19 大流行期间，近 50%的儿科 IBD 患者采取了额外的保护措施，包括避免上学和自愿封锁。
