Risk of adverse outcomes in inflammatory bowel disease patients infected with SARS-CoV-2: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: Between people with and without inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), there was no statistically significant difference in the probability of contracting the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2). However, the risk of adverse outcomes in IBD patients after virus infection remains unclear. METHODS: Eligible studies conducted from January 1, 2020 to March 17, 2022 were obtained by searching PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science. Information was collected in tables from the included studies. Random-effects and fixed-effects models were used as measures for the pooled estimates. All data were estimated by R version 4.1.3. RESULTS: Twenty-four studies were included. The risk ratio (RR) of adverse outcomes in COVID-19 patients with IBD increased by 32% (RR 1.32; 95% CI 1.06–1.66) relative to COVID-19 patients without IBD. The RR of mortality was higher in COVID-19 patients with IBD from Europe (RR 1.72; 95% CI 1.11–2.67) than in those that were not from Europe (RR 1.00; 95% CI 0.79–1.26; χ(2) = 4.67; P = 0.03). Patients with ulcerative colitis were at higher risk of adverse outcomes after SARS-CoV-2 infection than patients with Crohn’s disease patients (RR1.38; 95% CI 1.27–1.50). The IBD drugs treatment was associated with the risk of adverse outcomes, the pooled odds ratio (OR) of mesalazine (1.79; 95% CI 1.59–2.02), immunomodulators (1.30; 95% CI 1.10–1.53), and anti-TNF (0.47; 95% CI 0.41–0.53) were assessed. CONCLUSION: COVID-19 patients with IBD had an increased risk of adverse outcomes than those without IBD, whereas anti-TNF treatment might reduce the risk. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s00384-022-04265-w.