The outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has become the biggest challenge for the whole human community since many years. It seems that the appropriate identification of all people infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the best strategy to limit COVID-19 transmission. However, in a significant proportion of patients, there are no clinical manifestations of the disease, symptoms may be very mild or atypical. There is a growing body of evidence that digestive manifestations of COVID-19 are frequently reported and may precede typical respiratory symptoms. Moreover, the presence of SARS-CoV-2 particles was shown in the gastrointestinal epithelial cells, and viral RNA was detected in the feces of COVID-19 patients. These data suggest that gastrointestinal symptoms in COVID-19 are not an accidental finding, but they may result from direct digestive involvement. Patients with new-onset diarrhea, abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting without any other evident etiological factors should be tested for SARS-CoV-2 infection. Gastroenterologists and members of other medical specialties should also remember that the current epidemiological situation has changed diagnostic and therapeutic algorithms in several gastrointestinal and liver disorders. The paper summarizes the currently available data on multiple gastroenterological aspects of COVID-19 and provides practical recommendations and position statements submitted by the most prominent associations in the field of gastroenterology in response to the emergence of the pandemic.
Addressing multiple gastroenterological aspects of COVID-19.