Gastrointestinal symptoms as Covid-19 onset in hospitalized Italian patients

  1. Elisabetta Buscarini
  2. Guido Manfredi
  3. Gianfranco Brambilla
  4. Fernanda Menozzi
  5. Claudio Londoni
  6. Saverio Alicante
  7. Elena Iiritano
  8. Samanta Romeo
  9. Marianna Pedaci
  10. Gianpaolo Benelli
  11. Ciro Canetta
  12. Giuseppe Lapiana
  13. Guido Merli
  14. Alessandro Scartabellati
  15. Giovanni Viganò
  16. Roberto Sfogliarini
  17. Giovanni Melilli
  18. Roberto Assandri
  19. Daniele Cazzato
  20. Davide Sebastiano Rossi
  21. Susanna Usai
  22. Irene Tramacere
  23. Germano Pellegata
  24. Giuseppe Lauria
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Abstract

Objective

To assess the prevalence of gastrointestinal symptoms and their correlation with need of non-invasive ventilatory support, intensive care unit admission and death in hospitalized SARS-CoV-2 patients.

Design

Since February 21th 2020, all individuals referred to our emergency department for suspected SARS-CoV-2 underwent a standardized assessment of body temperature and pulse oximetry, hematological screening, chest X-ray and/or computed tomography (CT), and SARS-CoV-2 assay on nasopharyngeal swab. Medical history and GI symptoms including nausea, vomit, diarrhea, and abdominal pain were recorded. were recorded.

Results

GI symptoms were the main presentation in 42 (10.2%) of 411 patients, with a mean onset 4.9 +/-… days before admission. In 5 (1.2%) patients GI symptoms have not been associated with respiratory symptoms or fever. We found an inverse trend for ICU admission and death as compared with patients without GI symptoms.

Conclusions

GI symptoms can be an early and not negligible feature of Covid-19, and might be correlated with a more benign disease course.

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