The duration of gastrointestinal symptom persistence at various periods of coronavirus infection

Abstract

Aim: To analyze prevalence and type of symptomatic gastrointestinal involvement during symptomatic COVID-19 (up to 412 weeks after the disease) and post-COVID-19 syndrome (more than 12 weeks from the disease onset). Materials and methods: We retrospectively analyzed the data from 785 in-patients with the diagnosis of COVID-19, who were treated in the infectious disease hospital from May to December 2020. At the first phase of the study we analyzed how frequently they were referred for out-patient care by a gastroenterology specialist after they were discharged from the hospital (all 785 patient medical files). At the 2nd study phase we performed phone calls to 247 patients, that were discharged from the infectious disease hospital, during which a specially designed questionnaire was filled with items on their comorbidities, general and specific complaints, as well as the standardized Gastrointestinal Symptom Rating Scale (GSRS). Results: Within 2 years after their discharge from the infectious disease hospital, 88 patients asked for specialized gastroenterological care on an out-patient basis. The most common diagnoses were pancreatic diseases (33%), gastric disorders (31%), intestinal disorders (25%), liver and biliary disorders (11%). At referral, the most common complaints were dyspeptic: nausea, bitter taste in the mouth, heartburn, bloating (25%), abdominal pains of various location (17%) and stool abnormalities, such as diarrhea and constipation (11%). Among patients who participated in the phone survey (N = 247), symptomatic COVID-19 was observed in 90 (11.46%) cases, with predominant complaints being loss of taste, loss of smell, and fever. Post-COVID-19 syndrome was identified in 157 (20%) cases, with their main complaints being weakness, shortness of breath and joint pain. Stool abnormalities and abdominal pain occurred during symptomatic COVID-19 and in the post-COVID-19 period with the same frequency (9% and 10%, respectively). According to the GSRS results, the post-COVID-19 dyspeptic syndrome was characterized by prevailing complaints of heartburn (24%), upper abdominal pain and discomfort (20%), and bloating (15%). Conclusion: In the patients with a history of COVID-19, along with respiratory syndromes, gastrointestinal symptoms are seen, with their types being variable at various period of the coronavirus infection. In the early COVID-19, these are stool abnormalities and abdominal pain, and during the post-COVID-19 syndrome, nausea, bitter taste in the mouth, heartburn and bloating are more common.