Clinical Outcomes of Patients with COVID‑19 and Gastrointestinal Manifestations in South-West Iran

Abstract

Background:

 In this research, we examined the association between gastrointestinal (GI) involvement and clinical outcomes in hospitalized patients admitted to hospitals in Khuzestan province.

Materials and Methods:

We analyzed 17892 inpatients (≥18 years old) diagnosed with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) at 43 hospitals in Khuzestan province from its inception until October 2021. We accumulated demographic information, clinical details, vital signs, laboratory results, kind of therapy, and clinical outcomes from patients' medical records. Patients with gastrointestinal symptoms were compared to those without GI symptoms.

Results:

17892 patients (9690 males) were observed and recruited. The most prevalent GI symptoms reported in 3334 (18.6%) individuals (male = 1806) were anorexia and nausea. Anorexia 1882 (10.5%), followed by nausea 1133 (6.3%), vomiting 895 (5.0%), diarrhea 687 (3.8%), abdominal pain 337 (1.9%), and GI bleeding 11 (0.1%). Cough 10706 (59.8%), fever 7855 (43.9%), myalgia 5687 (31.8%), and headache 1338 (7.5%) were the most common non-GI symptoms. The number of hospitalizations, deaths, intubations, and ICU admissions was substantially different between the GI and non-GI groups, and these outcomes were significantly worse in the non-GI patients (P<0.001, P<0.007, P<0.001, P<0.001), respectively.

Conclusion:

 COVID-19 can be associated with GI symptoms, but there is no association between the symptoms and the severity of the illness. Moreover, the prevalence of GI symptoms was not associated with an increased risk of mortality. It was correlated with reduced disease severity among COVID-19-positive patients; therefore, the GI group's clinical results were encouraging compared to the non-GI group.