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Since December 2019, a novel coronavirus referred to as SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2)1 was identified as the causative agent of a respiratory syndrome named COVID-19.2 Since February 2020, an outbreak of COVID-19 has developed in Lombardy, in northern Italy, posing serious challenges to healthcare system. As reported, COVID-19 severity directly correlates with patient’s age and several comorbidities,3 but no data are currently available regarding clinical outcome in inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). Recently, the International Organization for the Study of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IOIBD) recommended a reduction of corticosteroid therapy in IBD patients, while maintaining thiopurines and biologics,4 even if Authors recognised that specific IBD research on COVID-19 is lacking.
On 12 February 2020, days before this outbreak was recognised, an 80-year-old female with a 3-year history of left-sided ulcerative colitis (UC), in maintenance with mesalamine, presented to our clinic with a 7-day history of fever and bloody …
Footnotes
Contributors SM and FC wrote the letter; AS, FP and MV critically reviewed the letter and made adjustments to the text.
Funding The authors have not declared a specific grant for this research from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.
Competing interests None declared.
Patient consent for publication Not required.
Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; internally peer reviewed.