Gastrointestinal manifestations among hospitalized coronavirus disease 2019 patients in Vadodara, Gujarat, India

Abstract

Background: SARS-CoV-2 is an RNA virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) which was initially detected in the province of Wuhan, China, and World Health Organization ultimately determined the outbreak to be labeled as a “pandemic” in March 2020. It lead to various clinical manifestations among COVID-19 patients and so, this study was conducted with the objective to study gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms among hospitalized COVID-19 patients. Materials and Methods: This retrospective study was conducted at a tertiary-level hospital in Vadodara. Hospital records of hospitalized COVID-19 patients from September to November 2020 were reviewed and included in the study. Clinical profiles including GI symptoms, respiratory symptoms, comorbidities, and length of hospital stay were extracted from the records. Results: A total record of 439 COVID-19 positive patients admitted during the study duration were reviewed. Out of 439 patients, 264 were males and 175 were females. Almost one-fifth (21.2%) of total patients had GI manifestations. The most common GI symptom was anorexia, followed by diarrhea, vomiting, and abdominal pain. Other less frequent GI symptoms include nausea and blood in stools. Around 30% of patients showing GI symptoms had comorbidities of diabetes mellitus or hypertension or both. The length of hospital stay was higher among patients with one or more comorbidities as compared to patients without any comorbidities. Conclusions: The proportion of having GI manifestations in hospitalized COVID-19 patients was 21.2%. The common GI symptoms were diarrhea, vomiting, anorexia, nausea, abdominal pain, and blood in stools. Patients with comorbidities had an elongated length of hospital stay.