Flushing away the poo taboo, together!
What is it that stops us from talking about our digestive health, or poo, as openly as we’d talk about having a cold, a headache or back pain? After all, our poo is an indication...
7th March 2024
25th March 2020
Everyone in the UK should adhere to guidance by the NHS. This now includes:
Stay at home to stop coronavirus spreading. Everyone must stay at home to help stop the spread of coronavirus.
This includes people of all ages – even if you do not have any symptoms or other health conditions.
You can only leave your home:
Further information can be found on the government website.
This includes advice for “shielding” for those deemed extremely vulnerable.
People falling into this extremely vulnerable group include:
For these individuals the main implications of shielding, in addition to the “Stay at Home” policy that affects all, are that people in this category should not leave their homes even for shopping and that this is currently expected to continue for 12 weeks.
Regarding other chronic conditions, not listed above and affecting the intestine, pancreas or liver there is little evidence that the conditions themselves affect risk for severe Covid-19 illness unless the affected individual has some other medical problem such as diabetes or hypertension. It is possible though that immunosuppressive treatments for these conditions, including those for Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis or auto-immune hepatitis, might in some cases increase the risk of complications if infected. The relevant specialist societies (including British Society of Gastroenterology and British Association for Study of the Liver) have identified categories of risk according to the nature of the immunosuppressive therapy.
People in the highest risk categories are advised to “shield”. Some people may also be receiving texts from the Department of Health advising shielding if they are on the annual “flu” vaccine call-up list.
If you are taking such medications (oral corticosteroids/prednisolone, azathioprine, mercaptopurine, methotrexate, new injected biologics such as infliximab, adalimumab, golimumab, ustekinumab, vedolizumab, tofacitinib) and think you may be infected you should seek medical advice with your specialist team by telephone. The risks of stopping or altering medication will vary considerably from patient to patient and you should not change your therapy without consulting a doctor. There is some “expert-based opinion” available and you might wish to look at the IOIBD website, which is completely independent of Guts UK.
The main risks for serious Covid-19 illness are age >70, hypertension, and diabetes. Unless you are receiving immunosuppressive drugs or corticosteroids (prednisolone) for inflammatory bowel disease or auto-immune liver disease (see above) other chronic gastroenterology conditions such as reflux oesophagitis, irritable bowel syndrome, and diverticulitis would not be expected to carry any increased risk for severe Covid-19. Chronic pancreatitis may be complicated by diabetes which is a risk for more severe Covid-19 but we are aware of no evidence to date that chronic pancreatitis uncomplicated by diabetes carries increased risk.
The team at Guts UK want to send you our best wishes in these uncertain times. We want to reassure you, our community, that we’re still here to help, we may just take a little longer to return your calls and reply to your emails. Thank you all for your understanding and kind messages so far, stay safe and #stayathome
– The Team at Guts UK
Guts UK’s vision is of a world where digestive diseases are better understood, better treated and where everyone who lives with one gets the support they need. We fund life-saving research into diseases of the gut, liver and pancreas.
Champion our cause; help us fight digestive diseases and change the lives of millions of people in the UK by supporting our work today.
What is it that stops us from talking about our digestive health, or poo, as openly as we’d talk about having a cold, a headache or back pain? After all, our poo is an indication...
7th March 2024
Download printable version (337.3KB pdf) OVERVIEW You might have noticed supply issues with pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy (PERT), sometimes also called pancreatin. This situation has progressed. It has now caused some people who need PERT...
16th April 2024
What is a faecal-immunochemical test (FIT test)? You may know that the NHS offers national bowel cancer screening checks, by sending you a home kit. This home kit requires you to collect a small sample...
3rd April 2024
By submitting this form, you are consenting to Guts UK contacting you by email as detailed above. To make any changes to your preferences you can email us on info@gutscharity.org.uk or by calling us on 020 7486 0341. Your details are safe with us. Please read our Privacy Policy for more details.