A systematic review and meta analyses conducted by the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) led to the drafting of a set of guidelines to follow in COVID-19 patients exhibiting GI manifestations. Here, Dr. Sudhir Mehta highlights the key findings and recommendations and offers a commentary on the same.

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Background and Objective

Gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms and lab abnormalities are described in patients with COVID-19 infection. To estimate the prevalence of these manifestations in patients with COVID-19, the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) conducted a systematic review of published and unpublished studies, performed a meta-analysis, and provided clinical practice recommendations.

Key findings

The meta-analysis included 47 studies with data from 10,890 patients with COVID-19. Not all symptoms were reported in each study. Pooled prevalence rates of GI symptoms and liver chemistry abnormalities were as follows: