Open AccessCase of COVID-19 presenting with gastrointestinal symptoms
Author(s) -
Ravi Kant,
Lakshya Chandra,
Mc Anto Antony,
Vipin Verma
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
world journal of virology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2220-3249
DOI - 10.5501/wjv.v9.i1.1
Subject(s) - medicine , covid-19 , coronavirus , pneumonia , disease , intensive care medicine , pandemic , gastrointestinal system , respiratory system , transmission (telecommunications) , pediatrics , infectious disease (medical specialty) , pathology , outbreak , electrical engineering , engineering
Patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) predominantly present with the pulmonary symptoms such as fever, cough, and shortness of breath. We present a case of an 83 years old patient with COVID-19 who presented with only gastrointestinal symptoms without respiratory complaints. Our case raises the concern regarding our current lack of understanding of extrapulmonary manifestations of COVID-19. Given genetic homology between 2019 severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) 2 and SARS-CoV, our case underscores the urgent need for further studies to understand the role of the gastrointestinal system in 2019 SARS-CoV-2 transmission and COVID-19 pathogenesis.