Practical management of inflammatory bowel disease patients during the COVID-19 pandemic: expert commentary from the Gastroenterological Society of Australia Inflammatory Bowel Disease faculty

The COVID-19 pandemic, caused by the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, has emerged as a public health emergency and challenged healthcare systems globally. In a minority of patients, SARS-CoV-2 manifests with a severe acute respiratory illness and currently there are insufficient data regarding the virulence of COVID-19 in inflammatory bowel disease patients taking immunosuppressive therapy. This review aims to summarise the current literature and provide guidance on the management of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic in the Australasian setting.