Coronavirus pandemic | 20% Covid-19 patients only show gastrointestinal symptoms: Study

Almost one in 5 sufferers with Covid-19 could solely present gastrointestinal signs similar to nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea, in response to a overview of research. The findings recommend that stomach radiologists want to stay vigilant in the course of the pandemic whereas imaging sufferers, the researchers mentioned. Gastrointestinal signs related to Covid-19 range extensively however can embrace lack of urge for food, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea and generalized stomach ache, they mentioned.

The examine, revealed within the journal Abdominal Radiology, discovered that 18 per cent of sufferers introduced with such signs, whereas 16 per cent of Covid-19 circumstances could solely current with gastrointestinal signs.

“There’s a growing amount of literature showing that abdominal symptomatology is a common presentation for Covid-19,” mentioned Mitch Wilson, a radiologist and medical lecturer on the University of Alberta in Canada.

The researchers examined findings from 36 research revealed by means of July 15 to succeed in their conclusions.

In addition to gastrointestinal signs, additionally they decided potential indicators radiologists ought to search for whereas conducting stomach imaging that may very well be proof of Covid-19 an infection.

Those indicators embrace irritation of the small and huge bowel, air inside the bowel wall (pneumatosis) and bowel perforation (pneumoperitoneum), the researchers mentioned.

The indicators are fairly uncommon, and will point out sufferers with superior illness, they mentioned.

“Seeing these things is not necessarily telling us a patient has Covid-19. It could be from a variety of potential causes,” mentioned Wilson.

“But one of those potential causes is infection from the virus, and in an environment where Covid-19 is very prevalent, it’s something to consider and potentially raise as a possibility to the referring physician,” he added.

(This story has been revealed from a wire company feed with out modifications to the textual content. Only the headline has been modified.)

Follow extra tales on Facebook and Twitter