Faculty Collaboration Database

Factors Associated with the Development of Gastrointestinal Symptoms in Patients Hospitalized with Covid-19. Dig Dis Sci 2022 Aug;67(8):3860-3871

Date

11/10/2021

Pubmed ID

34751837

Pubmed Central ID

PMC8575674

DOI

10.1007/s10620-021-07286-7

Scopus ID

2-s2.0-85118765038 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site)   4 Citations

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The most common symptoms of Covid-19 are respiratory; however, gastrointestinal symptoms are present in up to 50% of patients. We aimed to determine characteristics associated with the development of gastrointestinal symptoms in patients with Covid-19.

METHODS: A case-control study of adults hospitalized for Covid-19 was conducted across a geographically diverse alliance of 36 US and Canadian medical centers. Data were manually abstracted from electronic health records and analyzed using regression analyses to determine characteristics associated with any gastrointestinal symptoms and diarrhea specifically.

RESULTS: Of 1406 patients, 540 (38%) reported at least one gastrointestinal symptom and 346 (25%) reported diarrhea. Older patients (≥ 80 years) had significantly lower rates of any gastrointestinal symptoms and diarrhea (vs. patients 18-79 years, OR 0.41, p < 0.01 and OR 0.43 p = 0.01, respectively), while those with IBS (OR 7.70, p = 0.02 and OR 6.72, p < 0.01, respectively) and on immunosuppressive therapy (OR = 1.56, p = 0.02) had higher rates of any gastrointestinal symptom and diarrhea. Patients with constitutional symptoms exhibited significantly higher rates (OR 1.91, p < 0.01), while those with pulmonary disease alone had lower rates of gastrointestinal symptoms (OR 0.23, p = 0.01). A significant interaction between constitutional symptoms and pre-existing pulmonary conditions was observed.

CONCLUSIONS: Several patient- and disease-specific characteristics associate with gastrointestinal symptoms in patients with Covid-19. Knowledge of these may provide insights into associated pathophysiologic mechanisms, and help health care professionals provide targeted attention to reduce morbidity related to Covid-19.

Author List

Aroniadis OC, Wang X, Gong T, Forbes N, Yang JY, Canakis A, Elmunzer BJ, Yadav D, North American Alliance for the Study of Digestive Manifestations of Covid-19

Authors

Kulwinder S. Dua MD Professor in the Medicine department at Medical College of Wisconsin
James Esteban MD Assistant Professor in the Medicine department at Medical College of Wisconsin
Zachary Smith DO Associate Professor in the Medicine department at Medical College of Wisconsin

MESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold

Adult
Canada
Case-Control Studies
Diarrhea
Gastrointestinal Diseases
Humans