It was hypothesized that IBD patients would be at a higher risk for developing severe COVID-19 because of their overactive immune responses and chronic gut inflammation which would result in increased ACE2 expression. However, a recent study shows that neither inflammation nor medication related to IBD increase ACE2 and TMPRSS2 expression in the gut. While soluble ACE2 expression may increase, which actually has a protective effect against SARS-CoV-2 infections, full length ACE2 that acts as the cellular receptor for the virus does not.