A Case Series of New-Onset Ulcerative Colitis Following Recent Diagnosis of COVID-19

Abstract

There have been only 2 reported cases of new-onset ulcerative colitis in pediatrics following acute coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). We are reporting a case series of 3 adolescent female patients, 2 of whom were vaccinated against COVID-19, who developed new-onset ulcerative colitis following a recent diagnosis of COVID-19 infections at a singular pediatric hospital. This case series should be an impetus to clinicians who have pediatric patients with persistent symptoms of hematochezia, diarrhea, and abdominal pain following acute COVID-19 infection to consider further workup for inflammatory bowel disease.

Impact of COVID-19 on Pediatric Inflammatory Bowel Diseases—From Expectations to Reality

“…For instance, Kim et al [89] reported two cases of Crohn's disease in previously healthy male patients aged 17 and 11 years old. Swatski et al reported a case series of 2 female patients aged 16 years old and a female patient aged 12-years old with new-onset ulcerative colitis following a recent diagnosis of COVID-19 [90]. Although these cases seem to be rare, it is important to be aware of the need for further investigations into IBD in children with persistent hematochezia, diarrhea, and/or abdominal pain following COVID-19 [91,92].…”

“…On a long-term basis, these patients might require close monitoring, as this pro-inflammatory state could persist through time and cause additional complications. COVID-19 vaccination status does not seem to have an influence on disease onset or evolution [89,90]. In the adult population, however, there are new cases of IBD with onset reported after a previous SARS-CoV-2 infection, most of them with severe evolution, reflecting another aspect of the intricate SARS-CoV-2-IBD relationship [97][98][99][100].…”