COVID-19 and the gastrointestinal tract in children

Claudia Riera-Canales1, Alejandro Llanos-Chea2

  • 1University of Miami, Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine, Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, Miami, Florida.

PubMed

Insights

Children with COVID-19 generally experience milder symptoms and better outcomes than adults. Further pediatric research is crucial for understanding long COVID-19 and gut-brain interaction disorders in children.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Gastroenterology
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Immunology

Background:

  • COVID-19's impact on the pediatric gastrointestinal tract is a growing area of concern.
  • Understanding the effects on children with pre-existing chronic gastrointestinal conditions is essential.

Approach:

  • Review of current evidence on COVID-19 in pediatric gastrointestinal health.
  • Analysis of outcomes in children with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), chronic liver disease, and gut-brain interaction disorders.
  • Evaluation of pediatric-specific data versus adult extrapolations.

Key Points:

  • Children with COVID-19 exhibit milder disease and better prognoses compared to adults, including those with IBD or liver transplants.
  • Chronic gastrointestinal conditions in children do not appear to worsen COVID-19 outcomes.
  • COVID-19 infection is not definitively linked to increased incidence of IBD or celiac disease, though post-infectious irritable bowel syndrome data is inconclusive.

Conclusions:

  • Pediatric-specific research is vital, especially concerning post-infectious disorders of the gut-brain interaction (PI-DGBIs) and long COVID-19.
  • Adult data may not accurately reflect pediatric COVID-19 clinical courses.
  • PI-DGBIs and long COVID-19 represent significant pediatric morbidity requiring focused investigation.
Abstract

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