Purpose of review: Patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are predisposed to infections. Cytomegalovirus (CMV) colitis in adult IBD patients, particularly ulcerative colitis (UC), is related to severe or steroid-refractory disease. The aim of this review is to summarize the data on the prevalence and role of CMV colitis in children with IBD.
Recent findings: Data on CMV colitis in children continue to be very limited due to its rarity. As in adults, children with coexisting UC and CMV tend to have more severe colitis, are resistant to corticosteroids, and are at high risk for colectomies on short- and long-term follow-up. In children, as in adults, the significance of CMV colitis, in terms of whether CMV is a pathogen that aggravates acute severe colitis or simply reflects disease severity, is still unknown.
Keywords: Adults; CMV; Children; Crohn’s disease; IBD; Ulcerative colitis.