Abstract Background Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), which includes chronic idiopathic Ulcerative Colitis (UC) and Crohn’s disease (CD), is associated with a higher risk of infections, especially in patients under immunosuppressive treatment. Vaccination is a key tool in prevention but its coverage and awareness in our population remains limited. There is little known data in Mexico regarding access, perception and barriers related to immunization. Evaluating these aspects is essential to improve preventive care in specialized clinics and to strengthen institutional vaccination strategies. Methods Observational, analytical, and cross-sectional study. Fifty-nine patients with a confirmed diagnosis of UC or CD, who were under active follow-up and regularly attending outpatient consultations, were included. All agreed to participate through the application of a structured survey. The instrument collected information on vaccination history, knowledge regarding special schedules, and identification of barriers to immunization. Statistical analysis was performed with SPSS v29.0. Frequencies and proportions were used for qualitative variables, and chi-square or Fisher’s exact test was applied for group comparisons, considering a p value 0.05 as statistically significant. Results Fifty-nine patients with IBD were surveyed, of whom 62.7% had UC and 37.3% CD. Only 52.5% reported having a complete vaccination schedule, while 33.9% were unaware of their status. Only 20.3% reported having a vaccination card. More than half (55.9%) had received at least one vaccine after their IBD diagnosis, mainly against COVID-19 (91.5%) and influenza (66.1%). Regarding knowledge, only 23.7% were aware of the existence of a special schedule for immunosuppressed patients. The main barriers identified were lack of information (84.7%), absence of medical recommendations (25.4%). Nevertheless, 89.8% of participants considered vaccination to be very important, and 74.5% recognized its effectiveness in preventing severe infections. No statistically significant differences were found between UC and CD patients in most of the variables, except for vaccination against herpes zoster, which was more frequent in CD patients (p = 0.029). Conclusion Vaccination coverage in IBD patients treated at our center is suboptimal, with significant gaps in knowledge and medical guidance regarding special schedules for immunosuppressed patients. Although most patients acknowledge the importance of immunization, obstacles persist such as lack of information and limited medical recommendations. These findings highlight the need to implement educational strategies and institutional protocols that reinforce systematic immunization as an integral part of the follow-up of patients with IBD. Conflict of interest: Rosales, Paola: No conflict of interest Gonzalez, Emmanuel: No conflict of interest Chida, Jesus: No conflict of interest Hernandez, Victor: No conflict of interest Rodriguez, Hector: No conflict of interest Sebastian, Valeria: No conflict of interest Contreras Aviles, Estefania: No conflict of interest Lopez, Yazmin: No conflict of interest Jimenez, Billy: No conflict of interest Dr. De Leon Rendon, Jorge Luis: Dr. Jorge Luis De León Rendón is a member of Advisory Boards, key opinion leader, and speaker for Abbvie Mexico, Takeda Mexico, and Janssen Mexico. He has served as a key opinion leader and lecturer for Schwabe Pharma Mexico, Servier, Pfizer, Alfasigma, and Siegfried Rhein Mexico. He has received support for research manuscript publication and editing from Takeda and Schwabe Pharma Mexico. Additionally, he has coordinated research studies and medical education programs with Shire, Bristol Myers Squibb, Takeda, Schwabe Pharma, Abbvie, Janssen, MSD, and Roche.
Rosales et al. (Thu,) studied this question.
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