Ulcerative colitis as a possible sequela of COVID-19 Infection: The endless story

Arab J Gastroenterol. 2022 May;23(2):134-137. doi: 10.1016/j.ajg.2022.01.006. Epub 2022 Feb 10.

Abstract

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, is a new type of acute infectious respiratory syndrome that usually presents with mild flu-like symptoms. However, the disease caused widespread illness and death worldwide, and new sequelae are still being discovered. SARS-CoV-2 RNA was isolated from the fecal samples of some infected patients. Many pathogens, including many viral infections, were linked either to the onset or the exacerbation of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). With this, we report a series of 2 IBD cases that were diagnosed shortly after recovery from COVID-19. This is the first report that discusses the possibility of developing IBD following COVID-19 infection to the best of our knowledge. This could highlight the importance of thoroughly investigating COVID-19 patients who presented with diarrhea, particularly those with bloody diarrhea, and not consider it a simple manifestation of COVID-19 infection.

Keywords: COVID-19; IBD; Post-COVID syndromes; Ulcerative colitis.

MeSH terms

  • COVID-19* / complications
  • Colitis, Ulcerative* / complications
  • Diarrhea / etiology
  • Humans
  • Inflammatory Bowel Diseases* / complications
  • RNA, Viral
  • SARS-CoV-2

Substances

  • RNA, Viral