Challenges in chronic paediatric disease during the COVID-19 pandemic: diagnosis and management of inflammatory bowel disease in children

Many paediatric healthcare professionals are increasingly concerned about the long-term secondary impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the care of children and young people (CYP) with chronic conditions. Those of us working in paediatric gastroenterology now lack the ability to provide the same level of diagnostic care and ongoing management to our patients, particularly the large number with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). With all elective endoscopy cancelled, difficulty in obtaining day-case infusions and telemedicine becoming the norm, many professionals are justifiably uncomfortable. There is little known about the impact of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) on those CYP with IBD, or on patients with systemic immunosuppression, although the small amount of data derived thus far indicates mild disease in …