A case of COVID-19 patient with the diarrhea as initial symptom and literature review
Xiaodong Yang1, Jie Zhao2, Qiang Yan1
1Department of General Surgery, the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, 218, Jixi road, Hefei, China.
Insights
Diarrhea can be an initial symptom of COVID-19, not just fever or cough. This case highlights the importance of considering gastrointestinal symptoms in diagnosing novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
Area of Science:
- Infectious Diseases
- Gastroenterology
- Virology
Background:
- The COVID-19 pandemic, caused by the novel betacoronavirus SARS-CoV-2, has led to widespread pneumonia outbreaks globally.
- Typical COVID-19 symptoms include fever, cough, and dyspnea, with gastrointestinal issues being less common.
- Diarrhea as an initial presenting symptom of COVID-19 is rarely documented.
Observation:
- This report details a confirmed case of a patient infected with the 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19) who presented with diarrhea as the primary symptom.
- Diagnostic procedures included CT scans, laboratory examinations, and viral RNA detection from pharyngeal swabs.
- The patient's clinical presentation and diagnostic results were carefully documented.
Findings:
- Gastrointestinal symptoms, particularly diarrhea, are not uncommon in patients with COVID-19.
- Diarrhea can manifest as the initial or sole presenting symptom, preceding respiratory signs.
- This case underscores the diverse clinical spectrum of COVID-19.
Implications:
- Clinicians should consider COVID-19 in patients presenting with unexplained diarrhea, even without typical respiratory symptoms.
- Early recognition of diverse COVID-19 presentations is crucial for timely diagnosis and effective public health management.
- Further research into the gastrointestinal manifestations of COVID-19 is warranted to improve diagnostic strategies.
Abstract:
Since Dec 2019, a cluster of pneumonia outbreak in Wuhan, Hubei province, China, and soon spread to all province of China. The pathogen was proved to be a novel betacoronavirus called 2019 novel coronavirus (officially named by the World Health Organization as COVID-19). The typical clinical manifestations were fever, cough, dyspnea, and myalgia or fatigue. Less common symptoms included headache, diarrhea, nausea and vomiting. However diarrhea as the first symptom is rarely reported. Here we reported a case of 2019 novel coronavirus-infected patient (NCIP) with diarrhea as the initial symptom. Image of CT scan and laboratory examination and careful collected as well as detection of viral RNA in pharynx. The case demonstrate that gastrointestinal symptoms ware not rare in NCIP, and diarrhea could be the initial symptom.
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