LINKED CONTENT
This article is linked to Hadi et al. papers. To view these articles, visit https://publons.com/publon/10.1111/apt.16730 https://doi.org/10.1111/apt.16900
Editors,
We read with great intriguing the research TriNetX network analysis by Yousaf Hadi et al. 1 They described a decreased risk of COVID‐19 infection in the IBD patients with incidence rate ratio of 0.79; another breakthrough was about no increased risk for new‐onset IBD after COVID‐19 infection. This research has produced valuable results. However, we believe that some methodological issues should be considered that would add strength to the article.
First, because the authors selected IBD cases by ICD‐10 codes plus IBD therapeutic drugs, we suggest specific procedures such as endoscopy with biopsy should be included to avoid selection bias. 2 Since ICD‐10 codes for COVID‐19 change and update during the pandemic, we would like the authors to describe the exact codes they used rather than gloss over, so that other researchers can replicate them afterwards.
Second, patients with immune‐mediated inflammatory diseases are encouraged to receive the SARS‐CoV‐2 vaccine. We recommend that the authors take into account individual vaccine status to make their report more closely related to real‐world practice. 3 , 4
Third, the authors had included anti‐TNF, biologics and steroids in their analysis, but should consider including antibiotics in their adjustment when investigating the risk of IBD after COVID‐19 infection, because antibiotics play important role in the development of IBD. 5 , 6
Although a causal and definitive effect of COVID‐19 on IBD will require future studies to reach a final conclusion, we thank Yousaf Hadi et al. for their excellent article and look forward to their response.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
Declaration of personal interests: None.
Renin Chang and James Cheng‐Chung Wei contributed equally.
Contributor Information
Hui‐Yuan Chen, Email: laura812630@gmail.com.
Shiow‐Ing Wang, Email: shiowing0107@gmail.com.
Renin Chang, Email: rhapsody1881@gmail.com.
James Cheng‐Chung Wei, Email: wei3228@gmail.com.
DATA AVAILABILITY STATEMENT
Data sharing is not applicable to this article as no new data were created or analyzed in this study.
REFERENCES
- 1. Hadi Y, Dulai PS, Kupec J, et al. Incidence, outcomes, and impact of COVID‐19 on inflammatory bowel disease: propensity matched research network analysis. Aliment Pharmacol Ther. 2022;55(2):191‐200. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- 2. Maaser C, Sturm A, Vavricka SR, et al. ECCO‐ESGAR guideline for diagnostic assessment in IBD part 1: initial diagnosis, monitoring of known IBD, detection of complications. Journal of Crohn's & Colitis. 2019;13(2):144‐164. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- 3. D’Amico F, Rabaud C, Peyrin‐Biroulet L, Danese S. SARS‐CoV‐2 vaccination in IBD: more pros than cons. Nature Reviews. Gastroenterology & Hepatology. 2021;18(4):211‐213. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- 4. Al‐Ani AH, Prentice RE, Rentsch CA, et al. Review article: prevention, diagnosis and management of COVID‐19 in the IBD patient. Aliment Pharmacol Ther. 2020;52(1):54‐72. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- 5. Ananthakrishnan AN, Bernstein CN, Iliopoulos D, et al. Environmental triggers in IBD: a review of progress and evidence. Nature Reviews. Gastroenterology & Hepatology. 2018;15(1):39‐49. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- 6. D’Amico F, Danese S, Peyrin‐Biroulet L. Systematic review on inflammatory bowel disease patients with coronavirus disease 2019: it is time to take stock. Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology. 2020;18(12):2689‐2700. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
Associated Data
This section collects any data citations, data availability statements, or supplementary materials included in this article.
Data Availability Statement
Data sharing is not applicable to this article as no new data were created or analyzed in this study.