Researchers say patients with digestive symptoms after possible contact with COVID-19 should be suspected of infection even without respiratory symptoms

Taiwan News
Date: 2020/04/05
By: George Liao, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — For some people infected with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, the first sign of illness is gastrointestinal symptoms, particularly diarrhea, according to a study published in the American Journal of Gastroenterology on March 30.

Although most COVID-19 patients first exhibit a cough, shortness of breath, or sore throat, digestive symptoms also occur in patients with mild disease severity. The study found that those who exhibit digestive symptoms early on may be more likely to develop respiratory symptoms fever later — or not at all. The findings are important because this subgroup may go undetected, unwittingly spreading the illness to others, according to the researchers.

Conducted by Chinese researchers, the study analyzed data from 206 COVID-19 patients at a hospital in China's Hubei province. Of the 206 patients, 48 (23 percent) exhibited digestive symptoms only, 89 (43 percent) had only respiratory symptoms, and 69 (33 percent) presented with both digestive and respiratory symptoms.

Among the two groups with digestive symptoms (117 patients), diarrhea was seen in 67 of them, of whom 19.4 percent experienced it as their first symptom, according to the study. Diarrhea lasted from one to 14 days, with an average duration of five days and a frequency of four bowel movements per day.    [FULL  STORY]