Canadian Association of Gastroenterology (CAG) Clinical Practice Guideline (CPG) for Immunization in IBD

There is a need for a Clinical Practice Guideline to guide the use of immunizations and education of patients, and to support health care providers treating patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Children with IBD may not have received their complete routine immunizations before diagnosis. In addition, the elderly population, already at risk for serious life-threatening infections, represents another fast growing group of people living with IBD. The disease itself as well as the resulting immunosuppression from treatments puts IBD patients at-risk for opportunistic and potentially life-threatening viral and bacterial infections.This guidance document will involve the input of experts from across multiple disciplines, including pediatric and adult gastroenterologists, vaccinologists, infectious disease specialists and immunologists with expertise in the use of biologics and their implications for immunity and vaccine response. The consensus process will ensure that all scientific information related to this topic will be reviewed and assessed in accordance with standard methodologies. The consensus will culminate in a set of recommendations for best clinical practice. The target audience will be health care providers and patients with IBD, as well as public health officials and government policy-makers. This document will be used for clinical care, disease prevention, and to advocate for funding of immunizations for patients with IBD. Final recommendations will potentially be integrated into an IBD section of the CANImmunize app (personal immunization record platform, which allows Canadians to manage their immunization records).