Gastrointestinal tract involvement of COVID-19

Abstract

Abstract: Coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19) has been a worldwide pandemic. Although the disease is mainly manifested by pulmonary involvement, still many COVID-19 patients present with other organ damage, including gastrointestinal involvement such as diarrhea, anorexia, nausea, and virus nucleic acid being found in fecal samples. Pathological examination demonstrates virus particles presence in epithelial cells of the digestive tract. These findings indicate that the digestive tract is also an important target organ of SARS-CoV-2. This paper reviews the relevant literatures on COVID-19 gastrointestinal involvement and summarizes the pathophysiological mechanism, clinical features, and implications for infection control and prevention.

Key words: SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19, gastrointestinal symptoms

CLC Number:

R512.99

SONG Kai, WU Dong, YANG Ai-ming. Gastrointestinal tract involvement of COVID-19[J]. Basic & Clinical Medicine, 2020, 40(7): 881-886.

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