Gastrointestinal Manifestations and Associated Health Outcomes of COVID-19: A Brazilian Experience From the Largest South American Public Hospital

Diogo Turiani Hourneaux de Moura, Igor Mendonça Proença, Thomas R. McCarty, Vitor Massaro Takamatsu Sagae, Igor Braga Ribeiro, Guilherme Henrique Peixoto de Oliveira, Gabriel Mayo Vieira de Souza, Bruno Salomão Hirsch, Maria Vitória Cury Vieira Scatimburgo, Christopher C. Thompson, Flair José Carrilho, Ivan Cecconello, Eduardo Guimarães Hourneaux de Moura

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

20 Scopus citations

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: Brazil has rapidly developed the second-highest number of COVID-19 cases in the world. As such, proper symptom identification, including gastrointestinal manifestations, and relationship to health outcomes remains key. We aimed to assess the prevalence and impact of gastrointestinal symptoms associated with COVID-19 in a large quaternary referral center in South America. METHODS: This was a single-center cohort study in a COVID-19 specific hospital in São Paulo, Brazil. Consecutive adult patients with laboratory confirmed SARS-CoV-2 were included. Baseline patient history, presenting symptoms, laboratory results, and clinically relevant outcomes were recorded. Regression analyses were performed to determine significant predictors of the gastrointestinal manifestations of COVID-19 and hospitalization outcomes. RESULTS: Four-hundred patients with COVID-19 were included. Of these, 33.25% of patients reported ≥1 gastrointestinal symptom. Diarrhea was the most common gastrointestinal symptom (17.25%). Patients with gastrointestinal symptoms had higher rates of concomitant constitutional symptoms, notably fatigue and myalgia (p<0.05). Gastrointestinal symptoms were also more prevalent among patients on chronic immunosuppressants, ACE/ARB medications, and patient with chronic kidney disease (p<0.05). Laboratory results, length of hospitalization, ICU admission, ICU length of stay, need for mechanical ventilation, vasopressor support, and in-hospital mortality did not differ based upon gastrointestinal symptoms (p>0.05). Regression analyses showed older age [OR 1.04 (95% CI, 1.02-1.06)], male gender [OR 1.94 (95% CI, 1.12-3.36)], and immunosuppression [OR 2.60 (95% CI, 1.20-5.63)], were associated with increased mortality. CONCLUSION: Based upon this Brazilian study, gastrointestinal manifestations of COVID-19 are common but do not appear to impact clinically relevant hospitalization outcomes including the need for ICU admission, mechanical ventilation, or mortality.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Article numbere2271
JournalClinics
Volume75
DOIs
StatePublished - Jan 2020

Keywords

  • COVID-19
  • Gastrointestinal Symptoms
  • Pandemic
  • Prevalence
  • SARS-CoV-2

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Medicine(all)

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