The IBD Registry has collected a valuable dataset to support new studies investigating the impact of COVID-19 on people with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
Thank you to the almost 10,000 people who took part in the COVID-19 IBD Patient Risk Tool and follow-up research survey and agreed to their data being used for research purposes. This vital step in helping us to understand more about COVID-19 and IBD is particularly important as people with IBD may be at risk of experiencing more severe effects of the virus.
Clinical researchers (doctors specialising in research) are now able to request this dataset for use in studies, with two research projects starting now.
The first project will use our IBD COVID-19 dataset to explore levels of vaccine uptake in people with IBD in the UK. The importance of potential factors that might influence whether people with IBD choose to have the vaccine, including age, diagnosis, ethnicity and geographical location, will also be considered. The British Society of Gastroenterology strongly recommends that people with IBD have both doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, and this study aims to help to identify patient groups who may benefit from education and reassurance about the vaccine, and inform relevant public health programmes.
The second project will investigate the risk of experiencing severe or high-impact effects from COVID-19 for people taking IBD medications that affect their immune system. It will also look at the impact of public protection measures, such as self-isolation, on lifestyle, medical care and treatment for people with IBD. This will help inform public policy on how best to protect people with conditions such as IBD during the pandemic. Researchers will use our IBD COVID-19 dataset, which has been linked with a separate dataset held by the NIHR BioResource. We are excited to be working collaboratively with the BioResource to link our datasets, allowing for an even greater depth of research on this important topic.
You can read more about these studies on our Analysis and Research webpage.
Did you know?
People with IBD can join the Registry to help improve IBD treatment and care, and support vital research. We can collect information about your diagnosis, treatment and care from your hospital team, and from you directly. We make sure that we keep your data safe, and only use it responsibly to help improve the lives of people with IBD. Find out more here.