Coronavirus (COVID-19) Resources For People With IBS and IBD

People with Irritable Bowel Syndrome and Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) are understandably concerned about coronavirus. There is no medical evidence at this time that people with IBS are at a greater risk of complications for COVID-19. There are some guidelines for people with digestive disease that can help in making decisions during this time. On these pages you will find trusted and verifiable resources for use during the pandemic. We will be updating these pages regularly as we work with the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) to gather more information and answer your questions.






IBS Resources

Positives

  • It is believed that IBS Patients do not carry an increased risk with complications, or are susceptible to,  COVID-19
  • It is a good time to learn more about the low FODMAP diet and to implement all of the phases
  • Access to Registered Dietitians for managing the low FODMAP diet has increased with telehealth
  • Access to Physicians for questions about your health has increased with telehealth

Negatives

  • Increased personal and financial stress
  • Stress related to accessing safe foods

Engage our community of IBS Patients to help understand how the IBS community is doing during this outbreak from a 2-3 minute survey
Author: IBS Patient Support Group
May 25, 2020

AGA

AGA Institute Rapid Review of the GI and Liver Manifestations of COVID-19, Meta- Analysis of International Data, and Recommendations for the Consultative Management of Patients with COVID-19
Authors: Shahnaz Sultan, Osama Altayar, Shazia M. Siddique, Perica Davitkov, Joseph D. Feuerstein, Joseph K. Lim, Yngve Falck-Ytter4, Hashem B. El-Serag on behalf of the AGA
May 6, 2020

Some people also have diarrhea. In this annotated video, I summarize the latest on COVID-19 diarrhea: How long does it last? Is there always a fever? What precautions should you take if you think you have C-19 diarrhea? (video)
Brennan M.R. Spiegel, MD, MSHS, FACG, Director of Health Research at Cedars Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA
April 13, 2020

The Impact and Increased Burden of COVID-19 on the Chronic Illness Community
Melissa VanHouten, Gastroparesis patient
April 13, 2020

Gaining Resilience through Transitions [GRitT]: Optimism, Gratitude and Self-compassion in a time of uncertainty
Laurie Keefer, PhD, Rome Board of Directors, GI Health Psychologist, Professor of Medicine and Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY
April 9, 2020

Six Things Your GI Docs Want you to know about SARS-COV2
Tauseef Ali, MD @ibdtweets
April 9, 2020

AGA

American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) Releases Guidelines for COVID-19
Shahnaz Sultan, Joseph K. Lim, Osama Altayar, Perica Davitkov, Joseph D. Feuerstein, Shazia M. Siddique, Yngve Falck-Ytter, Hashem B. El-Serag, on behalf of the AGA
April 6, 2020

Dear IBS Patient- you are not alone. Let’s support each other, our IBS community, with simple tips for managing in this stressful time (video)
Johannah Ruddy, M.Ed., Director Rome Foundation
April 6, 2020

COVID-19 can present with digestive symptoms like diarrhea. But gut symptoms are common & can be exacerbated by stress (and we’re all feeling that). I discuss one way to help distinguish stress from infection (always check with your doctor) (video)
Brennan M.R. Spiegel, MD, MSHS, FACG, Director of Health Research at Cedars Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA
April 6, 2020

Can my pets get coronavirus?
Wondering if your PETS can give your #coronavirus? Are pets susceptible to getting sick or spreading the disease? Didn’t this start from animals? (video)
Dr. Sam Islam, MD
April 6, 2020

How long does the virus survive on hard surfaces?
Are you wondering how long Covid19 can stay on surfaces? Are packages safe? (video)
Dr. Sam Islam, MD
April 4, 2020

Debunking the 9 most prevalent myths about coronavirus?
Most common coronavirus myths DEBUNKED!! Wondering if getting Covid19 is a death sentence? Is the coronavirus the most dangerous virus? Is a package from China contagious? Are only older people affected? (video)
Dr. Sam Islam, MD
April 2, 2020

Managing IBS/Low-FODMAP In The Midst of COVID-19 (video webinar – registration required)
Peter Gibson, MD, Monash University and Patsy Catsos MS, Registered Dietitian, LD
April 1, 2020

Patients with COVID-19 GI symptoms experience delayed diagnosis, viral clearance
Brennan M.R. Spiegel, MD, MSHS, FACG, Director of Health Research at Cedars Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA
March 31, 2020

Friends of World IBS Day – World IBS Day on April 19 will not take place
Jeffrey Roberts, MSEd, BSc, Founder IBS Patient Support Group and World IBS Day
March 30, 2020

Acceptance, self, and values during COVID-19 (video)
Stephen Lupe, Psy.D., Gastroenterology, Cleveland Clinic
March 30, 2020

How to Prevent Spreading of GI Viruses in the Age of COVID-19
Advice for the Public from Digestive Disease Experts from the American College of Gastroenterology
March 27, 2020

Can you spread coronavirus without knowing you are?
The importance of social distancing (video)
Dr. Sam Islam, MD
March 27, 2020

What do we mean by MILD, MODERATE, and SEVERE symptoms of coronavirus? (video)
Dr. Sam Islam, MD
March 25, 2020

How to prepare for coronavirus without panicking (video)
Dr. Sam Islam, MD
March 24, 2020

Inflammatory Bowel Disease and COVID-19 Patient Information
An ACG Patient Information Handout
March 23, 2020

COVID-19 Pandemic: How Will This Affect Your Care and What to Ask Your Gastrointestinal (GI) Doctor
An ACG Patient Information Handout
March 23, 2020

Sources:

American College of Gastroenterology, gi.org/covid19
Gastroenterology, S0016-5085(20)30458-3
Rome Foundation, romefoundation.org
Twitter – twitter.com/TuesdayNightIBS
Twitter – twitter.com/ibdtweets
ModifyHealth – modifyhealth.com

Last updated on May 25, 2020




IBD Resources

Positives

  • It is believed that IBD Patients who are not flaring do not carry an increased risk with complications, or are susceptible to, COVID-19
  • Receiving immunosuppressant medications does not increase the risk of contracting COVID-19
  • Access to Physicians for questions about your health has increased with telehealth

Negatives

  • Increased personal and financial stress
  • Patients receiving an infusion in an infusion center creates a risk of exposure
  • Stress related to accessing medications and “safe” foods

Views of patients with inflammatory bowel disease on the COVID-19 pandemic: a global survey (The Lancet)
Ferdinando D’Amico, Jean-François Rahier, Salvo Leone, Laurent Peyrin-Biroulet, Silvio Danese
May 13, 2020

Expression of SARS-CoV-2 Entry Molecules ACE2 and TMPPodcasts2 in the Gut of Patients With IBD
Burgueño JF, Reich A, Hazime H, Quintero MA, Fernandez I, Fritsch J, Santander AM, Brito N, Damas OM, Deshpande A, Kerman DH, Zhang L, Gao Z, Ban Y, Wang L, Pignac-Kobinger J, Abreu MT
May 12, 2020

AGA

IBD Treatment and COVID-19 (webinar slides)

– IBD Risk Grid
– IBD Medication Therapy and Risk
– Reliable IBD References to stay up to date

Rajeev Jain, MD, AGAF, David T. Rubin, MD, AGAF, Russell D. Cohen, MD, AGAF
April 17, 2020

AGA

Management of Patients with Crohn’s Disease and Ulcerative Colitis During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Results of an International Meeting

IBD Patient Management Grid

David T. Rubin, Maria T. Abreu, Victoria Rai, Corey A. Siegel, on behalf of the International Organization for the Study of Inflammatory Bowel Disease
April 6, 2020

So You Have IBD During a Pandemic
Tiffany Taft, Psy.D.
March 22, 2020

Coronavirus and IBD Reporting Database
Michael D. Kappelman, MD, MPH, Erica J. Brenner, MD, Jean-Frederic Colombel, MD, Ryan Ungaro, MD, MS
March 2020

Treatment De-Escalation in Patients With Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Amanda Israel, MD, Katia El Jurdi, MD, David T. Rubin, MD
June 2019

Sources:

American Gastroenterological Association, Gastroenterology: gastrojournal.org/content/covid19
Twitter – twitter.com/ibdtweets, twitter.com/ibdmd
Gastroenterol Hepatol (N Y). 2019 Jun; 15(6): 335–341.
American Gastroenterological Association webinar “IBS Treatment and COVID-19” April 17, 2020
Crohn’s and Colitis UK. Coronavirus (COVID-19) advice. CrohnsandColitis.org.uk March 13, 2020.

Last updated on May 15, 2020