EC Gastroenterology and Digestive System

Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) is a group of inflammatory conditions of the colon and small intestine. Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) are the principal types of IBD and are gaining interest due to their rising prevalence. CD and UC are chronic, recurrent inflammatory diseases of the digestive system that often manifest in adolescence and earlier adulthood. IBD is caused by an unbalance in intestinal microbiota and an unregulated inflammatory response mediated by the immune system. IBD is medically de- fined by stomach discomfort and cramping that may be accompanied by bloody diarrhoea. Extra intestinal symptoms of IBD include arthritis, sacroiliitis, and ankylosing spondylitis. A lower BMI is also common in these people. Histologic, laboratory, sonographic, endoscopic, and radiologic data are frequently used to confirm a clinical diagnosis of illness. Doctors who manage IBD individuals should pay close attention to extraintestinal symptoms to reduce the morbidity.

Malnutrition has been shown to affect 20% to 85% of IBD individuals. Malnutrition in IBD individuals is caused by several condi- tions, such as limited oral food consumption, malabsorption, chronic blood and protein loss, and gut bacterial invasion. Poor dietary intake, and selective malnutrition or sarcopenia, is linked to inadequate health results therapeutic responsiveness and consequently, life quality. Dietetic examination including analysis of overall calorie consumption, energy expenditures, radiographic examination, and functional capacity testing should be part of the nutritional analysis. Individuals suffering from IBD are at a comparable inci- dence of malnutrition. As a result, these individuals must commence appropriate nutritional treatment. If normal diets are inad- equate to provide enough energy and protein, oral dietary supplementation, or artificial nutrition, such as tube feeding or parenteral nutrition, will be used to prevent or overcome malnutrition. The oral approach should be favoured over enteral or parenteral feeding. Pandemics provide a significant barrier to individual healthcare. Some phytocompounds and plant extracts could be of great help in the IBD management. Nevertheless, the effect of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on the healthcare of IBD disease has rarely been studied. For instance, it remains unclear if persons suffering from IBD are more (or less) susceptible to COVID-19 and what are the underlying mechanisms to such effects.

This concise review aimed at providing an update on IBD physiopathology, current and potential therapeutic strategies of IBD and its management in the pandemic context.

 Keywords: IBD; CD; UC; Malnutrition; Enteral Nutrition; Malabsorption; Phytotherapy; COVID‐19

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