The Outcome of COVID-19 Infection in Patients With Gastrointestinal Diseases: An Experience at a Tertiary Center

Observing the impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on digestive diseases in hospitalized patients at the Department of Gastroenterology-Hepatology in "Mother Teresa" University Hospital Center (UHC),Tirana.

This retrospective study was carried out from June 2020 to December 2021 involving 41 cases of patients >18 years who were positive for COVID-19 infection detected by RT-PCR (Reverse Transcription-Polymerase Chain Reaction) assays of nasopharyngeal swab specimens. The severity of COVID-19 infection was evaluated by hematological/biochemical parameters, blood oxygenation/need for oxygen, radiological data on pulmonary CT imaging.

Out of 2527 hospitalized cases, 1.6% (41) were positive for the infection. The average age was 60.05 +/- 15.008 years. The group of age with more patients (48.8%) was 41-60 years. Infected males were higher than females (p<0.001). Out of the total, 21% were vaccinated at the diagnosis. Most patients came from urban areas, more than a half from the capital. Frequency of the digestive diseases was: cirrhosis 31.7%, pancreatitis 21.9%, alcoholic liver disease 21.9%, gastrointestinal hemorrhage 19.5%, digestive cancer 14.6%, biliary diseases 7.3%, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) 2.4%, other digestive diseases 4.8%. Fever (90%) and fatigue (78.04%) were the dominant clinical signs.  Biochemical and hematological parameters showed elevation of average value of aspartate amino transferase (AST), alanine transaminase (ALT) (AST>ALT, p<0.001), and bilirubin in all the patients. Higher levels of creatinine and significantly predictive value of systemic inflammation indices NLR (neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio ) and MLR (monocyte to lymphocyte ratio) were found in the fatality cases. Patients with cirrhosis had more severe form of COVID-19, lower blood oxygenation and needed treatment by O₂-therapy (p<0.046). Death rate was 12%. A strong correlation was found between the need for O₂-therapy and deaths (p<0.001) and between characteristic findings for COVID-19 in pulmonary CT imaging and low blood oxygenation (p<0.003).

Comorbidity with chronic diseases, such as liver cirrhosis, has an important impact on the severity and mortality of the patients with COVID-19 infection. Inflammatory indices, such as NLR (neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio) and MLR (monocyte to lymphocyte ratio), are useful tools in predicting the evolution toward severe forms of the disease.