SARS-CoV-2 Testing, Prevalence, and Predictors of COVID-19 in Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease in Northern California

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by the novel betacoronavirus severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-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 (ACE) 2, which mediates SARS-CoV-2 entry into cells, is upregulated in IBD2 and may therefore increase host susceptibility. International cohorts have reported no increased risk of COVID-19 in patients with IBD3,4; however, these studies do not report the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 testing and COVID19 in patients with IBD. 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.