Katarzyna Klimczak

(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.

M ethotrexate (MTX) as an immunomodulatory drug has numerous applications in autoimmune diseases. Autoimmune patomechanism is one of the factors responsible for development of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). MTX is an alternative therapy in the treatment of IBD. Over the past several years clinical trials has confirmed the efficacy of MTX in the treatment of Crohn's disease (CD). Data concerning use of MTX in ulcerative colitis (UC) are not as numerous as in the CD. Currently, MTX is recommended for the induction treatment and maintenance therapy in CD patients, especially in steroid-dependent patients, disease refractory to corticosteroids, no improvement after treatment with azathioprine and 6-mercaptopurine, or in case of intolerance to these drugs. Preferred route of administration in the treatment of CD is parenteral supply. Contraception is indicated during MTX treatment since it's teratogenic.