clinical case series of gastrointestinal symptoms in patients with novel coronavirus 2019 infection

Background: various digestive symptoms have been frequently reported in a significantportion of patients infected with the virus since the outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019(covid-19). most patients with covid-19 have a fever accompanied by respiratory signsand symptoms, such as cough and dyspnea. we present 36 cases with a chief complaint ofgastrointestinal (gi) symptoms along with respiratory symptoms. in this study, we aimed atinvestigating the prevalence and outcomes of covid-19 patients with digestive symptoms.methods: a variety of observed gi symptoms included nausea and vomiting (72.2%), diarrhea(25%), abdominal pain (19.4%), loss of appetite (14%), and anosmia (14%). the most non-gi symptoms were dyspnea (66.7%), fever (66.7%), dry cough (58.3%), myalgia (52.4%), andothers. six patients (16.6%) were critically ill, 7 (19.4%) were in stable condition, and 23 patients(64%) showed moderate symptoms. among the patients, 7 (19.5%) needed critical care andwere admitted to icu. leucopenia, lymphopenia, and elevated acute-phase proteins were otherfeatures observed in these patients. the most common antiviral regimen was hydroxychloroquineand oseltamivir. finally, 32 patients (89%) were discharged, and 4 (11%) died.conclusion: this case series study highlights that patients with covid-19 are prone togi symptoms along with fever and respiratory symptoms. patients may even present withdigestive symptoms and without any respiratory symptoms. hence, clinicians should paymore attention to these patients and help diagnose covid-19 earlier to start prompt treatmentbefore the occurrence of severe disease.