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PERCEPTIONS OF COVID-19 IN THE EOSINOPHILIC ESOPHAGITIS POPULATION
Gastroenterology ; 160(6):S-260-S-261, 2021.
Article in English | EMBASE | ID: covidwho-1598666
ABSTRACT

Background:

The medical and psychological impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on individuals affected by eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) remain largely unknown. We seek to describe the current perceptions of COVID-19 in the EoE population of the United States (US).

Methods:

For this cross-sectional study, we anonymously surveyed individuals aged 18 years or older who self-identified as having EoE or as being a caregiver for someone with EoE. This survey was sent via an invitation and link to email subscribers of the American Partnership for Eosinophilic Disorders in November 2020. Our primary aim was to describe patients’ and caregiversperceptions of COVID-19. We collected patient demographics and asked five multiple-choice questions that assessed the responder’s anxiety related to the pandemic, belief on whether patients with EoE are at higher risk of acquiring COVID-19, willingness to take an approved vaccine, experiences with access to medical care during the pandemic, and use of social media to learn about the impact of COVID-19 on EoE. Our secondary exploratory aim was to identify patient characteristics associated with a positive response to each question. All variables were treated as categorical variables (with age dichotomized into age <48 and >48). Variables were analyzed with proportions and compared using chi-square tests.

Results:

The majority of responders were female (84.7%) and white (91.9%) (Table 1). The responses to COVID-19 questions are shown in Figure 1. Notably, majority (53%) of responders are anxious about the pandemic, 20% believe that patients with EoE are at higher risk of acquiring COVID-19, 41% are agreeable to taking an approved vaccine, 44% report interruptions in EoE-related care (either missed upper endoscopy or clinic visit) for themself or the person they care for, and only 24% have found social media to be useful to learn about the impact of COVID-19 on the EoE population. Caregivers are more concerned than patients that EoE patients are at higher risk of acquiring COVID-19 (OR 3.65, 95% CI 1.25-12.02). The older age group is less likely to use social media to learn about COVID-19 in the context of EoE (OR 0.35, 95% CI 0.13-0.90). There is a trend toward females being more likely to have interruptions in EoE-related care compared to males (OR 2.95, 95% CI 0.83-12.15).

Conclusion:

Our pilot data suggests that COVID-19 has led to anxiety and interruptions in care in the EoE population of the US. EoE care providers should take measures to address anxiety and create care plans that decrease pandemic-related delays. Further efforts should be made to study the risk of COVID-19 in EoE patients and to disperse such research on social media for easy accessibility. If and when a safe and efficacious vaccination is approved, providers will be critical in educating the EoE population on risks and benefits of vaccination. (Table presented) Baseline characteristics of all survey responders (Figure presented) Percentage of participants who responded “Yes” to each COVID-19 related question
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Full text: Available Collection: Databases of international organizations Database: EMBASE Language: English Journal: Gastroenterology Year: 2021 Document Type: Article

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Full text: Available Collection: Databases of international organizations Database: EMBASE Language: English Journal: Gastroenterology Year: 2021 Document Type: Article