Social Distancing during COVID-19 Pandemic among Inflammatory Bowel Disease Patients

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Abstract
(1) Background: Social distancing rules have been widely introduced in the fight against the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. So far, the effectiveness of these methods has not been assessed in the group of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients. (2) Methods: The study included 473 patients with IBD who made 1180 hospital visits from 1 May to 30 September 2020. During each visit, the patients completed a five-step, progressive scale that was developed to assess the degree of social isolation. In parallel, other demographic data were collected and the concentrations of anti-severe acute respiratory coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) IgG and IgM+IgA antibodies were measured using the ELISA method. (3) Results: The study found a significant correlation between the degree of social distancing and the presence of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in the groups with the lowest degree of isolation (3 to 5). (4) Conclusions: Maintaining social distancing is an effective method for reducing the spread of SARS-CoV-2 virus among IBD patients.

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