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Prevalence of gastrointestinal symptoms in coronavirus disease 2019: a meta-analysis

E Merola1, F Armelao1, G de Pretis1

  • 1Department of Gastroenterology, Azienda Provinciale per i Servizi Sanitari di Trento (APSS), Trento, Italy.

Acta Gastro-Enterologica Belgica
|December 15, 2020
PubMed

Insights

Gastrointestinal symptoms, including diarrhea, affect over 11% of COVID-19 patients. Viral RNA is present in stool samples, and asymptomatic cases may contribute to transmission.

Area of Science:

  • Gastroenterology
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Public Health

Background:

  • COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) is a global pandemic.
  • Gastrointestinal (GI) involvement in COVID-19 requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To assess the frequency of GI manifestations in COVID-19 patients.
  • To determine the prevalence of COVID-19 in stool samples.
  • To evaluate the proportion of asymptomatic COVID-19 cases.

Main Methods:

  • Systematic review and meta-analysis of studies published until March 25, 2020.
  • Included 33 studies with 4434 COVID-19 patients.
  • Utilized a random-effects model for pooled prevalence estimation.

Main Results:

  • 11.51% of COVID-19 patients exhibited GI symptoms, with diarrhea being the most common (7.78%).
  • COVID-19 positivity in stool samples was found in 41.50% of cases.
  • 11.85% of COVID-19 patients were asymptomatic.

Conclusions:

  • A significant number of COVID-19 patients present with GI symptoms.
  • COVID-19 RNA is detectable in stool, indicating potential fecal-oral transmission.
  • Asymptomatic individuals may play a role in viral spread.
Abstract

Keywords:
COVID-19asymptomatic patientsfecal-oral viral transmissiongastrointestinal symptoms

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