Patients with various inflammatory diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, skin, liver, kidneys, and musculoskeletal system-connective tissues, often undergo different anti-inflammatory therapies to maintain remission and avoid serious and/or life-threatening complications. Available data so far show an increased rate of hospitalization in such patients during the COVID19 pandemic.

The key points of our position statement are summarized below:

• Patients with inflammatory diseases who receive moderate or high-risk anti-inflammatory therapies might be considered as an increased risk group for severe COVID-19 and appropriate measures should be taken in order to protect them.

• Initiation of immuno-suppressive/modulatory therapies should be done with caution, taking into account the severity of the underlying inflammatory disease, the type of anti-inflammatory treatment, and the risk of exposure to the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

• Discontinuation of anti-inflammatory therapies in patients who have not been exposed to or infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus is not recommended.

• In patients who become infected with SARS-CoV-2, anti-inflammatory therapies should be discontinued, except in special cases.

• Specialty physicians should actively participate in the Interdisciplinary Teams caring for patients with inflammatory diseases during COVID19 infection.

https://doi.org/10.31138/mjr.31.3.288

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©Apostolou T, Koutroubakis IE, Manolakopoulos S, Mantzaris G, Rigopoulos D, Triantafyllou K, Vassilopoulos D.