INTRODUCTION: COVID-19 gained international attention as a disease of the respiratory tract, but we now understand it to affect other organ systems as well Studies have shown the ACE2 receptor, which allows SARS-CoV-2 to enter cells, is highly expressed in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract AT2 cells It is important to investigate the various GI manifestations of COVID-19 and their correlation with disease progression and outcomes Our study aims to report findings from patients cared for in New Orleans, a city which held one of the highest COVID-19 mortality rates METHODS: A retrospective chart review was conducted to analyze a cohort of 91 patients with COVID-19 from March to June of 2020 in New Orleans All patients had PCR-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection The patients were divided into GI symptom and non-GI symptom groups, and the demographics, clinical characteristics, laboratory findings, complications, and outcomes were compared between the groups Using logistic regression, variables associated with increased length of stay and mortality were determined Patient characteristics were compared by using t tests for continuous variables and chi-squared or Fisher exact tests for categorical variables RESULTS: Demographic analysis of the cohort revealed the patients to be 50 55% Female and 49 45% Male, a median age of 60 69, a median BMI of 33 37, and mostly Black or African American (82 5%) Comparison of the two groups revealed a worse prognosis in those presenting with GI symptoms The GI symptom group also included more patients that required oxygen (66% vs 63%) and more patients with a Hb &lt; 7 requiring blood transfusion (14% vs 5%) Of the 50 patients in the GI symptoms group, nausea was the most common symptom reported (52%) followed by abdominal pain (46%) and diarrhea (42%) While both groups had higher levels of AST compared to ALT, the GI group experienced a greater degree of liver injury in regards to average AST (47 6 vs 44 6) but not ALT (33 0 vs 34 4) CONCLUSION: In our analysis, patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection and GI symptoms had an increased length of stay (P &lt; 0 135), increased mortality(P &lt; 0 33),and a more complicated hospital course when compared to those without GI symptoms Unique to our institution is our patient population which primarily encompasses an underserved community who are predominantly AA Due to the lack of studies analyzing American cohorts, our study results may elucidate findings visualized in other geographic locations with similar patient demographics
Outcomes of COVID-19 Infected Patients with Gastrointestinal Manifestations: Data from University Medical Center in New Orleans