Gastrointestinal perforation in COVID-19 patients – case series and review of the literature

Abstract

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV 2) involving the respiratory tract started in 2019 in Wuhan, China but spread to almost all parts of the world to the extent that it was declared a pandemic by WHO. As more and more cases are detected, the involvement of systems other than respiratory was observed and nearly 5 to 50 % of patients have abdominal symptoms like pain and diarrhea. During the course of treatment, few patients developed a rare complication of gastrointestinal perforation. Three cases (two with colonic perforation and one with gastric perforation) of gastrointestinal perforation in COVID-19 positive patient are reported in the article with a review of the literature regarding the various hypothesis of intestinal perforation in these patients. Keywords: COVID-19; gastrointestinal perforation; severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV 2); Tocilizumab