Risk factors for SARS-CoV-2 infection and course of COVID-19 disease in patients with IBD in the Veterans Affair Healthcare System

Objective Our aim was to explore the risk of infection with all classes of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) medications and the impact of these medications on the disease course in a nationwide cohort of patients with IBD. Design This was a retrospective national cohort study of patients with IBD in the Veterans Affairs Healthcare System. We categorised IBD medication use immediately prior to the COVID-19 pandemic and used survival analysis methods to study associations with SARS-CoV-2 infection, as well as a combined secondary outcome of COVID-19 hospitalisation or COVID-19-related mortality. Results The analytical cohort of 30 911 patients was primarily male (90.9%), white (78.6%) and with ulcerative colitis (58.8%). Over a median follow-up of 10.7 months, 649 patients (2.1%) were diagnosed with SARS-CoV-2 infection and 149 (0.5%) met the combined secondary outcome. In adjusted models, vedolizumab (VDZ) use was significantly associated with infection relative to mesalazine alone (HR 1.70, 95% CI 1.16 to 2.48, p=0.006). Patients on no IBD medications had increased risk of the combined secondary outcome relative to mesalazine alone (sub-HR 1.64, 95% CI 1.12 to 2.42, p=0.01), however, no other IBD medication categories were significantly associated with this outcome, relative to mesalazine alone (each p>0.05). Corticosteroid use was independently associated with both SARS-CoV-2 infection (HR 1.60, 95% CI 1.23 to 2.09, p=0.001) and the combined secondary outcome (sub-HR 1.90, 95% CI 1.14 to 3.17, p=0.01). Conclusion VDZ and corticosteroid were associated with an increased risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Except for corticosteroids no medications including mesalazine were associated with an increased risk of severe COVID-19.

Automated summary

In a nationwide cohort of patients with IBD, vedolizumab and corticosteroids were associated with an increased risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Except for corticosteroids, no medications including mesalazine were associated with an increased risk of severe COVID-19.