Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection, has become a pandemic worldwide. Although COVID-19 mainly affects the respiratory system, gastrointestinal (GI) manifestations have been frequently reported in such cases, even as initial symptoms. There have been several studies on different GI manifestations in patients with mild and severe disease or in remission. In this review article we summarized different GI manifestations of COVID-19 at various disease stages and the possible mechanisms based on published literatures, as well as the significance of GI manifestations in systemic inflammatory injury.
Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; gastrointestinal manifestation; mechanism; systemic inflammatory injury.
© 2021 Chinese Medical Association Shanghai Branch, Chinese Society of Gastroenterology, Renji Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine and John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.