Dig Liver Dis. 2020 Oct 22;S1590-8658(20)30976-2. doi: 10.1016/j.dld.2020.10.024.Online ahead of print.

Serena Arrigo ¹, Patrizia Alvisi ², Claudia Banzato ³, Matteo Bramuzzo ⁴, Fortunata Civitelli ⁵, Antonio Corsello ⁶, Giulia D'Arcangelo ⁷, Anna Di Lillo ⁸, Valeria Dipasquale ⁹, Enrico Felici ¹⁰, Maurizio Fuoti ¹¹, Simona Gatti ¹², Zeno Giusti ¹³, Daniela Knafelz ¹⁴, Paolo Lionetti ¹⁵, Federica Mario ¹⁶, Antonio Marseglia ¹⁷, Stefano Martelossi ¹⁶, Chiara Moretti ¹⁸, Lorenzo Norsa ¹⁹, Federica Nuti ²⁰, Roberto Panceri ²¹, Stefania Rampado ¹⁶, Sara Renzo ¹⁵, Claudio Romano ⁹, Erminia Romeo ²², Caterina Strisciuglio ²³, Massimo Martinelli ²⁴

Author information

• ¹Pediatric Gastroenterology and Endoscopy Unit, Institute 'Giannina Gaslini', Genoa, Italy.
• ²Pediatric Gastroenterology Unit, Maggiore Hospital, Bologna, Italy.
• ³Department of Surgical Sciences, Dentistry, Gynecology and Pediatrics, Pediatric Division, University of Verona, Verona, Italy.
• ⁴Institute for Maternal and Child Health, IRCCS Burlo Garofalo, Trieste, Italy.
• ⁵Department of Gender diseases, Child and Adolescent health, Pediatric unit, Sant'Eugenio Hospital, Rome, Italy.
• ⁶Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCCS, OU Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology, Rome, Italy.
• ⁷Women's and Children's Health Department, Pediatric Gastroenterology and Hepatology Unit, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
• ⁸Pediatric and Neonatology Unit, Sapienza University of Rome, Santa Maria Goretti Hospital, Latina, Italy.
• ⁹Paediatric Gastroenterology and Cystic Fibrosis Unit, Department of Human Pathology in Adult and Developmental Age "Gaetano Barresi", University of Messina, Italy.
• ¹⁰Pediatric and Pediatric Emergency Unit, "Umberto Bosio" Center for Digestive Diseases, The Children Hospital, AO SS Antonio e Biagio e C. Arrigo, Alessandria, Italy.
• ¹¹Pediatric Gastroenterology and GI Endoscopy, University Department of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital, Spedali Civili, Brescia, Italy.
• ¹²Department of Pediatrics, Università Politecnica delle Marche, Ancona, Italy.
• ¹³Department of Translational Medical Science, Section of Pediatrics, University of Naples "Federico II", , Via S. Pansini, 5, 80131 Naples, Italy.
• ¹⁴Hepatology and Gastroenterology Unit, Bambino Gesù Hospital, Rome, Italy.
• ¹⁵University of Florence-Meyer Hospital, Florence, Italy.
• ¹⁶Pediatric Unit, Ca' Foncello's Hospital, Treviso, Italy.
• ¹⁷Fondazione IRCCS Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza, Division of Pediatrics, San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy.
• ¹⁸Paediatrics Division, ASST Grande Ospedale Metropolitano Niguarda, Milan, Italy.
• ¹⁹Paediatric Hepatology Gastroenterology and Transplantation, Papa Giovanni XXIII Hospital, Bergamo, Italy.
• ²⁰Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda, Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Pediatric Intermediate Care Unit, Milan, Italy.
• ²¹Department of Pediatrics, University of Milano-Bicocca, Foundation MBBM/San Gerardo Hospital, Monza, Italy.
• ²²Digestive Surgery and Endoscopy Unit, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy.
• ²³Department of Woman, Child and General and Specialistic Surgery, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Naples, Italy.
• ²⁴Department of Translational Medical Science, Section of Pediatrics, University of Naples "Federico II", , Via S. Pansini, 5, 80131 Naples, Italy. Electronic address: massimo.martinelli@unina.it.

Abstract

Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, spreading in Italy during the first months of 2020, abruptly changed the way of practicing medicine in this country. As a consequence of the lockdown, the diagnostic and therapeutic management of paediatric chronic conditions, such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) has been affected. During the peak of COVID-19 pandemic, elective visits, endoscopies and infusions have been postponed, with potential clinical and psychological impact on disease course and a high likelihood of increasing waiting lists. While slowly moving back towards normality, clinicians need to recognize the best ways to care for patients with IBD, carefully avoiding risk factors for new potential epidemic outbreaks. In this uncertain scenario until the development and spread of COVID-19 vaccine, it is necessary to continue to operate with caution. Hereby we provide useful indications for a safer and gradual restarting of routine clinical activities after COVID-19 peak in Italy.