COVID-19 in gastroenterology and hepatology: Lessons learned and questions to be answered

paythelady.612 shared this article with you from Inoreader COVID-19 in gastroenterology and hepatology: Lessons learned and questions to be answered Μέσω pubmed: "world j clin cases"... World J Clin Cases. 2021 Jun 16;9(17):4199-4209. doi: 10.12998/wjcc.v9.i17.4199. ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: Although coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) presents primarily as a lower respiratory tract infection, increasing data suggests multiorgan, including the gastrointestinal (GI) tract and liver, involvement in patients who are infected by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). AIM: To provide a comprehensive overview of COVID-19 in gastroenterology and hepatology. METHODS: Relevant studies on COVID-19 related to the study aim were undertaken through a literature search to synthesize the extracted data. RESULTS: We found that digestive symptoms and liver injury are not uncommon in patients with COVID-19 and varies in different individuals. The most common GI symptoms reported are diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, and abdominal discomfort. Other atypical GI symptoms, such as loss of smell and taste and G I bleeding, have also been reported along with the evolvement of COVID-19. Liver chemistry abnormalities mainly include elevation of aspartate transferase, alanine transferase, and total bilirubin. It is postulated to be related to the binding of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) virus to the angiotensin converting enzyme-2 receptor located on several different human cells. CONCLUSION: Standardized criteria should be established for diagnosis and grading of the severity of GI symptoms in COVID-19 patients. Gastroenterology and hepatology in special populations, such as children and elderly, should be the focus of further research. Future long-term data regarding GI symptoms should not be overlooked. PMID:34141782 | PMC:PMC8173430 | DOI:10.12998/wjcc.v9.i17.4199 View on the web Inoreader. Take back control of your news feed. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.