Prevalence of Gastrointestinal Sequelae among Previously Hospitalised Patients due to COVID-19 and its Association with Computed Tomography Chest Severity: A Cross-sectional Study

Abstract

Introduction: Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a highly infectious disease primarily characterised by respiratory symptoms. While respiratory symptoms initially predominated during the pandemic, there has been an increase in Gastrointestinal (GI) manifestations in the later phase. Moreover, reports have highlighted the presence of chronic GI symptoms following COVID-19 infection. Aim: To determine the prevalence of GI sequelae after COVID-19 hospitalisation and its association with Computed Tomography (CT) chest severity scores. Materials and Methods: The present cross-sectional study was conducted at a COVID-19 designated tertiary care hospital, Indira Gandhi Medical College and Research Institute, Puducherry, India, from April 2022 to December 2022. Patients admitted with COVID-19 illness between January 2021 and June 2021 were included in the study. Socio-demographic details, CT chest severity scores, and chronic GI symptoms (nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, abdominal pain, etc.) were collected from patients’ medical records and through telephonic interviews. The data were analysed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 26.0 Qualitative variables were expressed as frequencies and percentages. The association of CT severity with GI symptoms was assessed using the Chi-square test, with a p-value of <0.05 considered significant. Results: A total of 1,903 patients who met the inclusion criteria were included in the study. Among the participants, 1142 (60%) were males and 761 (40%) were females. The majority of patients belonged to the age group of 41-60 years, followed by 21-40 years. The mean age of the patients was 48.88±1.72 years. The prevalence of chronic GI symptoms was observed in 26% of patients, with 36.6% experiencing abdominal pain and 19.6% having gastroesophageal reflux. Diarrhoea was reported by 15.8% of patients. Patients with severe CT severity scores showed a lower prevalence of GI symptoms. Conclusion: Chronic GI symptoms were observed in nearly onefourth of the patients hospitalised for COVID-19. Interestingly, patients with severe CT chest severity scores exhibited a lower prevalence of GI symptoms. Further experimental studies are needed to understand the pathogenesis of GI symptoms and their association with CT severity, which could contribute to the development of effective treatment strategies.