COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy among Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease Receiving Biologic Therapies in Kuwait: A...

COVID-19 vaccinations have been shown to be effective in reducing risk of severe infection, hospitalization, and death. They have also been shown to be safe and effective in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) who are receiving biologic therapies. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the prevalence of vaccination among patients receiving biologic therapies for IBD.

A single-center prospective cross-sectional study conducted at a tertiary care inflammatory bowel disease center in Kuwait. Data from patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) who attended the gastroenterology infusion clinic from 1 June 2021 until 31 October 2021 were retrieved. Patients who received infliximab or vedolizumab at least six weeks before recruitment were included. The primary outcome was prevalence of COVID-19 vaccination. The secondary outcome was to assess whether prevalence of COVID-19 vaccination differed based on sex, age, type of biologic therapy and nationality.

The total number of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients enrolled in the study was 280 (56.0% male and 44.0% female). Of the total, 112 (40.0%) patients were diagnosed with ulcerative colitis and 168 (60.0%) with Crohn's disease. The number of ulcerative colitis patients who were vaccinated was 49 (43.8%) and the number of Crohn's disease patients who were vaccinated was 68 (40.5%). The median age was 33.2 years and BMI was 24.8 kg/m². With respect to the total number of patients, 117 (41.8%) were vaccinated with either BNT162b2 or ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 and 163 (58.2%) were not vaccinated. Female patients were more likely to receive the vaccine compared to male patients (83.0% vs. 63.8%, p < 0.001). In addition, patients above the age 50 were more likely to receive the vaccine than patients below the age of 50 (95.6% vs. 31.2% p < 0.001). Expatriates were more likely to receive the vaccine than citizens (84.8% vs. 25.0%, p < 0.001). There was no statistical difference between patients on infliximab and vedolizumab with regard to prevalence of vaccination (40.0% vs 48.0%, p = 0.34).

The overall prevalence of COVID-19 vaccination among patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) on biologic therapies was lower than that of the general population and world health organization (WHO) recom-mendation. Female patients, patients above the age of 50, and expatriates were more likely to receive the vaccine. Physicians should reinforce the safety and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines among patients, especially IBD patients on biologic therapies, who express hesitancy towards them.