Prevalence of gastro-intestinal symptoms among COVID-19 patients and the association with disease clinical outcomes

AIM: This study examined the various manifestations of COVID-19 in people's gastro-intestinal system and how gastro-intestinal involvement relates to the progression and outcome of the disease. METHODOLOGY: A questionnaire survey was used to collect data from 561 COVID-19 patients between February 6 and 6 April 2022. Laboratory data and clinical outcomes were obtained from the patients' medical records. RESULTS: 39.9% of patients presented gastro-intestinal symptoms, mainly loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. Gastro-intestinal symptoms were not linked to poorer outcomes such as mortality, ICU admission or length of hospital stays. CONCLUSION: gastro-intestinal symptoms were common among patients and may manifest with respiratory symptoms. We recommended clinicians to watch out for gastro-intestinal symptoms as related to COVID-19 infection.