SARS-CoV-2 testing, prevalence, and predictors of covid-19 in patients with inflammatory bowel disease in Northern California

Abstract

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by the novel betacoronavirus SARSCoV-2, is an unprecedented global pandemic[1]. Susceptibility to COVID-19 is a concern among patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) who are at increased risk of infection due to immunosuppressive therapy. The receptor angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), which mediates SARS-CoV-2 entry into cells, is upregulated in IBD [2] and may therefore increase host susceptibility. International cohorts have reported no increased risk of COVID-19 in patients with IBD [3,4]. However, these studies do not report the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 testing and COVID-19 in IBD patients. Our institution was among the first to initiate large-scale SARS-CoV-2 RNA testing in northern California. We characterized the prevalence and clinical predictors of COVID-19 in patients with IBD.