Gastrointestinal complication is associated with more severe COVID-19 infection in children
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Reviewed by Dat Tien Nguyen, B.A, ScM.
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Posted on October 26th, 2022
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Due to tropism of SARS-CoV-2 receptors, the virus can only enter host cells that express angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) and transmembrane serine protease 2 (TMPRSS2). Besides the respiratory tract, these host cell’s proteins can be found on enterocytes; this cellular mechanism can explain why virus particles can be shed with feces, and gastrointestinal (GI) manifestations had been reported in COVID-19 cases. However, the frequency of these GI symptoms is unknown. A study had reported on the prevalence of gastrointestinal problems in children diagnosed with COVID-19
The multicenter retrospective descriptive study included data from a cohort of 685 children under the age of 18 that were initially treated for COVID-19 infection and multisystem inflammatory syndrome (MIS-C) in an outpatient setting. 9.5% of these children had also reported gastrointestinal problems, and this is associated with a 2.6 times higher chance of hospitalization and a 3.9 times higher chance of ICU admission. Disseminated adenomesenteritis (39.6%) is the most commonly reported problem, followed by appendicitis (33.5%) and abdominal fluid collection (21.3%). Pancreatitis is less common, with a frequency of 6.9%, and intussusception is the least common reported manifestation (4.6%). Some of these GI complications were serious enough that nearly half of the study population (41.5%) requires surgery.
The multicenter retrospective descriptive study included data from a cohort of 685 children under the age of 18 that were initially treated for COVID-19 infection and multisystem inflammatory syndrome (MIS-C) in an outpatient setting. 9.5% of these children had also reported gastrointestinal problems, and this is associated with a 2.6 times higher chance of hospitalization and a 3.9 times higher chance of ICU admission. Disseminated adenomesenteritis (39.6%) is the most commonly reported problem, followed by appendicitis (33.5%) and abdominal fluid collection (21.3%). Pancreatitis is less common, with a frequency of 6.9%, and intussusception is the least common reported manifestation (4.6%). Some of these GI complications were serious enough that nearly half of the study population (41.5%) requires surgery.