Fielding questions from patients
In an interview, Jessica Philpott, MD, PhD, a gastroenterologist at Cleveland Clinic, described the study findings as an important attempt to understand the risk for RSV among patients with IBD.
Dr. Philpott said she is already getting questions from her patients about RSV vaccinations. Many patients with IBD are immunocompromised and thus have been interested in following up after learning about the new RSV vaccinations, especially after seeing news reports about rising cases, she said. “Certainly, every week I receive messages about the RSV vaccine” from patients, she said.
Dr. Philpott also said it’s too early to make blanket recommendations about RSV vaccinations for adults with IBS, as it is going to take some time to understand how these products work for these patients, she said.
But people with IBD know they already may be at high risk and will factor that in as they weigh whether to seek RSV vaccination, especially given its low risk for side effects, Dr. Philpott said. Patients with IBD who would not have insurance coverage for the vaccine may consider taking it anyway, she said.
“We would advocate to get this covered by their insurance because we have this data that shows they’re at greater risks than the average population,” she said.
This study received no outside funding. Dr. Smith indicated no relevant financial relationships. Dr. Caldera has served as a consultant for GlaxoSmithKline. Francis Farraye has served on a GSK advisory committee.
