key: cord-1040507-39fgmfn0
authors: Crispino, Federica; Brinch, Daniele; Carrozza, Lucio; Cappello, Maria
title: Acceptance of SARS-CoV-2 Vaccination Among a Cohort of IBD Patients From Southern Italy: A Cross-Sectional Survey
date: 2021-06-05
journal: Inflamm Bowel Dis
DOI: 10.1093/ibd/izab133
sha: 26d6d627915621004079d34686f68ad3a6e26681
doc_id: 1040507
cord_uid: 39fgmfn0

nan

To the Editors, Vaccination against severe acute respiratory syndrome related coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) represents an exit strategy from the current pandemic. However, the rapid development of SARS-CoV-2 vaccines has led to uncertainties among the Italian population and among patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), despite the international recommendations. 1, 2 To develop strategies against vaccine hesitancy in IBD patients, we measured the acceptance of anti-SARS-CoV-2 vaccination in this population. An anonymous web-based questionnaire was sent from April 5 through April 15, 2021 to patients attending our clinic addressing sociodemographic and therapeutic features, in addition to willingness and potential concerns on anti-SARS-CoV-2 vaccination. Among the 450 questionnaires, 276 (61.3%) forms were returned. Patients demographics are summarized in Supplementary Table 1. In terms of treatment, 127 (46.0%) were on biologics, 28 (10.0%) were on steroid doses >20 mg, 18 (6.0%) were on immunomodulators, and only 10 (3.6%) were treated with combination therapy. Almost half of the cohort (47.1%) had received an influenza vaccine in 2020. A very small proportion (7.2%) of respondents declared they had contracted COVID-19. The proportion of patients willing to get vaccinated against SARS-CoV-2 was 148 (53.6%); among them, 110 (74.3%) had already received the first dose of vaccine. One hundred three (37.3%) patients reported they were uncertain but likely to change their mind after more safety information, whereas 25 (9.0%) declared to definitely refuse vaccination. For patients in favor of vaccination, the main reasons were duty for collective responsibility (65.4%) and the wish to return to a normal life (53.0%). For patients against vaccination, the main reasons were the fear of side effects (52.0%) and the possible negative effects on IBD course (52.0%; see Supplementary Table 2 ). The predictors for vaccination acceptance in a multivariate analysis were influenza vaccination during the last year (odds ratio [OR], 3.78; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.22-6.44; P < 0.0001), presence of a household member aged over 65 years (OR, 2.22; 95% CI, 1.20-4.10; P = 0.01), and gastroenterologist advice before booking vaccination (OR, 3.30; 95% CI, 1.77-6.17; P = 0.001). Notably, age, educational status, and comorbities were not significantly associated with vaccination willingness (see Fig. 1 ).

In conclusion, our study shows that the majority of IBD patients wish to be vaccinated against COVID-19. Vaccine acceptance was strongly associated with prior seasonal influenza vaccination, presence of a household member aged over 65 years, and gastroenterologist advice. Appropriate counselling of the treating physician is an effective measure to combat hesitancy in the uncertain patients.

International Organization for the Study of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IOIBD)

SARS-CoV-2 vaccination for patients with inflammatory bowel diseases: recommendations from an international consensus meeting

Inflammatory Bowel Disease section of the British Society of Gastroenterology and the the Inflammatory Bowel Disease Clinical Research Group. SARS-CoV-2 vaccination for patients with inflammatory bowel disease: a British Society of Gastroenterology Inflammatory Bowel Disease section and IBD Clinical Research Group position statement

Supplementary data is available at Inflammatory Bowel Diseases online.