Long-Term Sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 Infection in Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Diseases Compared to Relatives with SARS-CoV-2 Infection without Inflammatory Bowel Disease and Inflammatory Bowel Disease Patients without SARS-CoV-2: Results of a Retrospective Case-Control Study

Feb 10, 2025Visceral medicine

Long-term Effects of COVID-19 in People with Inflammatory Bowel Disease Compared to Relatives without the Disease and Patients without COVID-19

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Abstract

Fatigue, cognitive impairment, and sleep disturbances are reported in higher frequencies among patients with inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) following SARS-CoV-2 infection.

The occurrence and duration of fatigue in IBD-COVID patients were linked to IBD activity.
Cognitive performance and sleep disorders were significantly more prevalent in IBD-COVID patients compared to control cohorts.
IBD-COVID patients experienced persistent symptoms such as hematochezia, abdominal pain, diarrhea, and anal problems more frequently than CONT-COVID patients.
Symptoms related to IBD were reported to last longer after COVID-19 infection.
Post-COVID complaints were observed more frequently in IBD patients than in those without IBD.

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INTRODUCTION: Long-term sequelae following acute SARS-CoV-2 infection appear to be common in patients with inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs).

METHODS: We examined the frequency and characteristics of post-COVID-symptoms in patients with IBD (IBD-COVID), comparing them to two control cohorts: infected household members of the IBD-COVID patients without IBD (CONT-COVID) and IBD patients without SARS-COV-2 infection (IBD-no-COVID). A questionnaire for the retrospective documentation of possible post-COVID-19 symptoms was distributed to patients and controls from eight referral centers.

RESULTS: The 319 IBD-COVID, 108 CONT-COVID, and the 221 IBD-no-COVID patients were similar in terms of sex, age, and comorbidities. The occurrence and duration of fatigue in the IBD-COVID cohort correlated with IBD activity. Other complaints such as reduced cognitive performance (< 0.05) and sleeping disorders (< 0.05) were even more common in IBD-COVID patients. Persistent hematochezia (< 0.001), abdominal pain (< 0.005), diarrhea (< 0.0001), and anal problems (< 0.01) were more often in the IBD-COVID patients than in the CONT-COVID cohort. Furthermore, typical IBD-associated symptoms persist for a longer period after an infection. Frequency of post-COVID complaints is higher in IBD patients compared to controls. After infection, the number of outpatient consultations increased in IBD-COVID patients (7.8% vs. 10.9%,= 0.008). p p p p p p p

CONCLUSION: Fatigue, cognitive impairment, and sleep disturbances are more prevalent among IBD-COVID than CONT-COVID patients. Furthermore, typical IBD-associated symptoms persist for a longer period after an infection. Frequency of post-COVID complaints is higher in IBD patients compared to controls. Tight control of IBD activity could be a suitable tool to avoid post-COVID problems.

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