We keep stumbling over conflicting, yet compelling COVID-19 warning signs of gastrointestinal infections. We had just posted an opinion by University of Alabama down-grading them. Then we found evidence linking COVID-19 and gastro infections strongly in a Stanford University study.
Evidence Linking COVID-19 and Gastro Infections in the US
The report by Stanford University correlates with an earlier in report in WebMD. The latter posted an article about COVID-19 patients at Tongji Medical College in Wuhan, China. A quarter of these displayed only one symptom. This was diarrhea and other digestive conditions linking COVID-19 and gastro infections.
The American study dates from April 2020, and therefore involves an early group of patients too. The report confirms 31.9% of them had gastrointestinal symptoms. Of them, 22% had loss of appetite, 22% nausea and vomiting, and 12% diarrhea. Moreover, 44% of all patients had elevated levels of an abnormal liver enzyme. Those with high levels of this enzyme admitted to hospital.
What This Means for COVID-19 Testing and Treatment
The Chinese and American studies both linked COVID-19 and gastro infections convincingly. This makes sense, because we already know there are ACE2 gateways for the virus in the intestine. But how did they get there, we were curious to know?
We turned to Mayo Clinic for advice. We learned from Sahil Khanna, M.D. Gastroenterology it’s possible COVID-19 may be present in the stool, but absent from the respiratory tract. However, it could conceivably travel later to it.
Other types of viruses have followed the fecal-oral route, so coronavirus infections could spread that way too. Some people may be more susceptible to this potential link between COVID-19 and gastro infections. However, for now it’s safer to assume people with coronavirus infection could transmit it through their stool advises, Sahil Khanna.
Related
Common Colds, Allergies, Flu and COVID-19
Is Muscle Pain a Good Indicator for COVID-19?
Preview Image: Radiography of Upper Abdomen
