The Risk of Opportunistic Infections in Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Abstract

Objective: Immunity-related issues are the main concerns of patients undergoing inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) treatment. The treatment of IBD during the last decade has evolved due to the ever-increasing utilization of immunomodulators, which has caused the potential of contracting opportunistic infections to become the main immunity concern for patients affected by IBD. Methods: Studies on opportunistic infections in patients with IBD that were identified in databases such as Google Scholar, PubMed, and Scopus were reviewed and included. Results: IBD patients are a high-risk population for opportunistic infections, with age being a significant factor. The primary therapy for IBD patients includes the suppression of the immunity system, together with immunodeficiency and biological treatments, which, first of all, must be standardized. Since treatment with suppressive medicine, which is the original method for curing IBD, causes viral infections and the growth of various bacteria, factors suppressing the body's immunity system must be temporarily suspended, or the consumption dosage of sensitive antibiotics should be reduced. Biological treatment and anti-integrin antibodies will lead to the danger of being affected by opportunistic infections in patients with IBD. Still, the threat of these infections is not severe. Conclusion: The worldwide research society must conduct further research into a therapeutic strategy for IBD patients to reduce susceptibility and the risk of opportunistic infection.There are still unknowns about how these individuals and the medicines they were given reacted to different infections, and more detailed clinical observations are required.