Impact of the lockdown period due to the COVID-19 pandemic in patients with inflammatory bowel disease

INTRODUCTION: The lockdown period due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Spain probably had a significant emotional impact on chronic patients and hence on those who are suffering from inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) due to their high risk of emotional disorders. The aim of this study was to learn how COVID-19 influenced patients suffering from IBD during the quarantine period, focusing in particular on psychological distress through the Perceived Stress Scale-10 (PSS-10) and also the impact of the pandemic on therapeutic adherence using the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). PATIENTS AND METHODS: A prospective, single-centre and analytical observational study was carried out in the IBD unit in August 2020. Patients were contacted and interviewed by phone. A descriptive analysis was carried out and subsequently the factors associated with the loss of therapeutic adherence and higher-moderate levels of stress were analyzed through logistic regression multivariate analyses. RESULTS: A total of 426 patients were included with a median PSS-10 score of 12 (10–16). A higher level of stress was reported by those who were not married, women and those who experienced an increase in IBD-related symptoms. Adherence to treatment was not associated with stress based on the PSS-10 questionnaire. CONCLUSIONS: Although the lockdown period due to the COVID-19 pandemic has probably had a significant emotional impact on Spaniards with IBD, IBD patients in general had lower PSS-10 scores.