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Skin and gastrointestinal symptoms in COVID-19
Piotr Ciechanowicz1, Konrad Lewandowski2, Elżbieta Szymańska1
1Dermatology Department, Centre of Postgraduate Medical Education/Central Clinical Hospital of the Ministry of the Interior and Administration, Warsaw, Poland.
Insights
Gastrointestinal symptoms were common in COVID-19 patients, and all patients with skin lesions also experienced GI issues. This suggests a potential link between these symptoms in coronavirus disease 2019.
Area of Science:
- Infectious Diseases
- Gastroenterology
- Dermatology
Background:
- Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) emerged in late 2019, rapidly becoming a global pandemic.
- Common COVID-19 symptoms include fever, cough, fatigue, anosmia, dyspnea, and gastrointestinal (GI) issues.
- Dermal lesions are also recognized manifestations of COVID-19.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between skin manifestations and GI symptoms in COVID-19 patients.
- To explore potential correlations between dermatological and gastrointestinal presentations of SARS-CoV-2 infection.
Main Methods:
- A cohort of 441 patients diagnosed with COVID-19 was studied.
- Data on GI symptoms and dermal lesions were collected from hospitalized patients.
Main Results:
- Over half of the patients (58.5%) reported GI symptoms, with lack of appetite and diarrhea being most frequent.
- A small percentage of patients (1.81%) exhibited dermal lesions, including macular, infiltrated, and papular types.
- All patients presenting with skin lesions also reported experiencing GI symptoms during their illness.
Conclusions:
- The study highlights a potential connection between dermal lesions and GI symptoms in COVID-19.
- Further research is warranted to understand the underlying mechanisms, possibly involving microbiota alterations or drug-related complications.
Introduction:
The first cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) were noted in December 2019 in Wuhan province, China. The World Health Organisation (WHO) announced the pandemic status on March 11, 2020. The manifestations of the disease are as follows: fever, cough, fatigue, anosmia and ageusia, dyspnoea, chest pain, muscle soreness, chills, sore throat, rhinitis, headache, gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms, and dermal lesions.
Aim:
To evaluate the relationship between dermal lesions and GI symptoms in a group of COVID-19 patients.
Material And Methods:
A group of 441 COVID-19 patients admitted to the Central Clinical Hospital of the Ministry of the Interior and Administration in Warsaw between March 15th and June 15th, 2020.
Results:
Of 441 patients with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection, 255 (58.5%) experienced gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms: lack of appetite was reported in 124 (48.6%) cases, diarrhoea was noted in 109 (42.7%), abdominal pain in 95 (37.3%), vomiting in 37 (14.5%), and nausea in 32 (12.5%) cases. Eight (1.81%) patients had dermal lesions: erythematous macular lesions (2 patients - 25%), erythematous infiltrated lesions (2; 25%), erythematous infiltrated and exfoliative lesions (3; 37.5%), erythematous papular lesions (3; 37.5%), and erythematous oedematous lesions (2; 25%). All of those patients reported gastrointestinal symptoms during the hospitalisation.
Conclusions:
The following study analyses possible causes of dermal lesions and their coexistence with GI symptoms. Several possible theories were taken into account, including the microbiota alterations and issue of drug-related complications.
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