Author response to “Is IBD disk a reliable tool in Saudi Arabia?”

To the Editor, We appreciate the letter by Al Saeed et al.[1] for expressing interest in our study. We acknowledge that the timing of our study, coinciding with the COVID-19 pandemic, may have influenced the results. However, the consistency with other studies, such as the one from Riyadh on patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), which showed no significant difference in disability scores pre- and post-COVID-19 on the IBD disk, suggests a broader trend.[2] Similarly, a survey from the United Kingdom on the psychological well-being of IBD patients found that rates of anxiety and depression during the pandemic were comparable to pre-pandemic levels.[3] We recognize the potential impact of cultural factors on the measurement of sexual function. To ensure comprehensive data, we included single patients in our study.[4] This approach aligns with the original validation study of the IBD disk, which also did not exclude single patients from the sexual function domain.[5] By doing so, we aimed to avoid selection bias and maintain the generalizability of our findings. A shortened version of the IBD disk, excluding sexual activity, demonstrated similar diagnostic performance to the complete disk.[5] This finding supports our methodology and underscores the need for further studies. We encourage additional research to explore the factors influencing sexual function in IBD patients across various settings and populations. We are grateful for your valuable feedback, which has provided us with an opportunity to clarify these points. We hope that our study will contribute to a better understanding and management of IBD patients in Saudi Arabia and beyond. Financial support and sponsorship Nil. Conflicts of interest There are no conflicts of interest.