Overall Aims:~To assess the immune response to COVID-19 vaccination in patients with IBD.~Comparing the short and long term immune response to vaccination among subgroups receiving different therapies.~To evaluate the different variables affecting immunity of these patients.~To assess adverse reactions to COVID-19 vaccines and IBD related complications.~Specifically:~To assess serologic response to COVID-19 vaccine(s) in patients with IBD treated with anti-TNF agents (+/- immunomodulators) compared to~Healthy controls~Patients with IBD not treated with anti-TNF (+/- immunomodulators)~To characterize serologic response: seroconversion, seroprotection and persistence of COVID-19 vaccine(s) in patients with IBD~To identify factors associated with serologic response~Side effects to vaccines~IBD exacerbation compared to activity at baseline~Symptomatic COVID-19
The 2019-coronavirus disease (COVID-19), caused by SARS-CoV-2, was identified as the source of pneumonia cases in Wuhan city in China. It rapidly spread worldwide and was declared by WHO as a pandemic. COVID-19 vaccines are expected to be the breakthrough in controlling the pandemic. However, studies performed only in healthy adults, and specifically excluded patients who were under immunomodulatory/biologic therapy, thus excluding patients with chronic inflammatory diseases (IBD). In this study we wish to understand vaccine efficacy and immunological response in IBD patients.