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GI Symptoms Common But Mild Among Patients With COVID-19
Patients hospitalized with COVID-19 frequently presented with diarrhea, nausea, and abnormalities on liver tests, but these symptoms were not associated with more severe disease and worse outcomes, according to a recent analysis from the North American Alliance for the Study of Digestive Manifestations of COVID-19.
The alliance collected data on patients hospitalized with the virus in medical centers throughout the United States and Canada, including symptoms, laboratory assessments, and the results of imaging and endoscopy, from the onset of illness until discharge or death.
The investigators performed regression analyses to identify and assess possible associations between the gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms and outcomes from infection with COVID-19.
Of 1992 patients hospitalized in 36 medical institutions, 53% of patients experienced at least 1 GI symptom, including diarrhea (34%), nausea (27%), vomiting (16%), and abdominal pain (11%), at some point in the course of their illness. These GI symptoms were classified as mild in approximately three-quarters of the cases analyzed.
Some 35% of patients presented with an abnormal alanine aminotransferase or total bilirubin level; however, in 77% of cases, these levels were under 5 times the upper limit of normal.
“After adjusting for potential confounders, the presence of gastrointestinal symptoms at any time (odds ratio, 0.93; 95% CI, 0.76–1.15) or liver test abnormalities on admission (odds ratio, 1.31; 95% CI, 0.80–2.12) were not associated independently with mechanical ventilation or death,” the researchers reported.
—Rebecca Mashaw
Reference:
Elmunzer JB, Spitzer RL, Alford TB, et al. Digestive manifestations in patients hospitalized With coronavirus disease 2019. Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2021;19(7): P1355-1365.
