The University of Arizona Inflammatory Bowel Disease Program

08/19/2021

No boosters yet for general population. CDC recommends patients who received the Pfizer or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine at least 8 months ago receive a booster PENDING FDA evaluation and recommendations. Data on boosters for the J&J vaccine still pending.

CDC provides credible COVID-19 health information to the U.S.

08/19/2021

Crohn's and Colitis Foundation echoes CDC recommendations regarding additional COVID-19 vaccinations in IBD patients on anti-TNFs and thiopurines.

08/13/2021

Booster shots are recommended for patients on immune suppression! Patients should receive Pfizer or Moderna vaccine as booster at least 4 wks after 2nd dose of vaccine. Still need to mask, avoid crowds. Specifically, booster shots have been suggested for patients on anti-TNFs (infliximab, adalimumab, golimumab, certolizumab), azathioprine/6-MP/methotrexate, and prednisone >19 mg/d. No recommendations yet for other biologics/immune suppressing agents in IBD.

Find interim clinical considerations for the use of COVID-19 vaccines for the prevention of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the United States.

02/15/2021

For added convenience, we have created a one page COVID vaccine and IBD information sheet for our Crohn's and colitis patients.

01/06/2021

To combat misinformation in medicine and COVID, a leading communications expert suggests that we need to better understand the values of our patients and direct them to more objective resources to obtain their information.

Communication science expert Brian Southwell, PhD, recently launched a training workshop at the Duke University School of Medicine to address a major clinical problem: What should physicians do when patients are misinformed about their health? It’s one of only a few such programs in the nation. So...

12/24/2020

A nice articles summing up the two currently available COVID-19 vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna:

A look at how the two authorized vaccines stack up against one another on a host of factors, including efficacy and safety.

12/15/2020

There are no contraindications with IBD or IBD therapies for the Pfizer COVID vaccine. If you have the chance to get it early, take full advantage.

07/22/2019

A nice gesture by retailer Argos in the UK. Hopefully others there and in the US will follow.

UK retailer Argos will allow patients with inflammatory bowel disease to use their staff bathrooms if they have a "Can't Wait" card indicating their diagnosis. The retailer partnered with Crohn's and Colitis UK to offer the service.

07/15/2019

Just another reminder how common IBD is in the population.....

English actor Jeff Hordley had surgery for Crohn's disease and now manages with diet and medication, he said. Hordley says no one should be ashamed to talk about Crohn's.

07/11/2019

An uplifting story about a minor league baseball player with Crohn's.....

Brennan Metzger was diagnosed with Crohn's nearly five years ago and has undergone six surgeries. The 29-year-old left fielder for the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks, an independent professional baseball team, receives medication infusions every eight weeks to treat his disease and has become one of the te...

07/01/2019

Uplifting story about overcoming Crohn's disease and reaching your goals.

Seth Parsons of Michigan was diagnosed with Crohn's disease when he was 14 years old but after treatment and training is now competing for a national weightlifting championship. Seth, who spends at least 12 hours a week at the gym, has been training seriously since 2014.

05/12/2019

Uplifting story about a young Crohn's disease patient....

Twelve-year-old Jay Burchfield of Alabama, who was diagnosed with Crohn's disease last year, will lead the Gulf Coast Take Steps Walk to benefit the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation. "I refuse to let Crohn's disease define me," Jay said.