An outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARSCoV-2), is rapidly spreading almost all over the world. 1 According to the Johns Hopkins university, over 18 million people have been affected across 188 countries. 2 Currently in South Africa, the virus is spreading throughout the country despite harsh regulations to combat the viral outbreak. Typical symptomology of this virus infection includes fever, cough, myalgia, fatigue and pneumonia while the latest research reports that the virus is associated with gastrointestinal (GI) presentations such as diarrhoea, nausea and vomiting. 3,4 Two clinical studies from China focused on GI symptoms and the presence of the virus in faeces. 1,4
COVID-19 and the gastrointestinal tract
May 1, 2020
An outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARSCoV-2), is rapidly spreading almost all over the world. 1 According to the Johns Hopkins university, over 18 million people have been affected across 188 countries. 2 Currently in South Africa, the virus is spreading throughout the country despite harsh regulations to combat the viral outbreak. Typical symptomology of this virus infection includes fever, cough, myalgia, fatigue and pneumonia while the latest research reports that the virus is associated with gastrointestinal (GI) presentations such as diarrhoea, nausea and vomiting. 3,4 Two clinical studies from China focused on GI symptoms and the presence of the virus in faeces. 1,4