• ulcerative colitis
• inflammatory bowel disease

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 …