Considerations and perspectives on digestive diseases during the COVID-19 pandemic: a narrative review

Abstract

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was initially reported in December 2019, and since then it has become a pandemic with newly confirmed cases and deaths increasing continuously. The COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically impacted the organization and execution of activities in the clinical sector.Asymptomatic infections are increasingly being identified when patients seek medical advice for nonrespiratory system illnesses, particularly digestive system symptoms. This has posed a significant challenge for clinical diagnosis and treatment. Based on the clinical symptoms of patients with COVID-19 reported to date, patients with typical clinical symptoms of COVID-19 may also present with symptoms associated with the digestive system. Digestive illness symptoms in patients with COVID-19 are underscored by a bidirectional relationship between respiratory and digestive systems. Because the clinical diagnosis and treatment of digestive illnesses caused by COVID-19 have been challenging so far, we hypothesized that investigating the pathogenesis of digestive system diseases in patients with COVID-19 will provide potential novel targets for its prevention and treatment, and concurrently reduce COVID-19 virulence and sociosanitary burden. This review summarizes the relationship between the digestive and respiratory systems in patients with COVID-19 from the perspective of the "gut-lung" axis. We discuss extant literature on the pathogenesis of COVID-19-related digestive symptoms, which may facilitate differential diagnosis and treatment of this condition.

Digestive system infection by SARS‑CoV‑2: Entry mechanism, clinical symptoms and expression of major receptors (Review)

“…Severe acute respirator y syndrome-coronavir us 2 (SARS-coV-2) is the pathogen responsible for causing SARS-coV-2 pneumonia [coronavirus disease 2019 (cOVId- 19)]. The initial clinical symptoms of viral infection are frequently atypical and include mild coughing and headaches (1,2). The increase in SARS-coV-2 infection cases has also led to the emergence of a number of characteristic stomach symptoms.…”

Local COVID-19 Epicenter in Detroit Metropolitan Area Causing Profound and Pervasive Reorganization of Clinical, Educational, Research, and Financial Programs of a Large Academic Gastroenterology Division with a GI Fellowship and Primary Medical School Affiliation

“…Literature review reveals little published data on how the pandemic impacted GI divisions. This current novel review is distinguished by its depth and comprehensiveness, including new, previously unreported data concerning reorganization, some of which might otherwise never be reported [3][4][5][6][7][8]. Analysis of this flagship Hospital of the Beaumont network may magnify pandemic effects because Beaumont provides tertiary care as a referral center for very sick patients with complicated diseases, including COVID-19-infected patients.…”

Recent Advances and Future Challenges in the Field of Digestive Diseases

“…New technologies, novel therapies, and better knowledge of pathogenetic mechanisms are the main drivers of this growth [ 1 ]. However, some aspects of gastroenterology and hepatology remain insufficiently investigated and can be considered unmet medical needs that require solutions in the near future [ 2 ]. Digestive diseases comprise a multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary area of research, with many clinical aspects focused on specific organs, all of which are investigated multiple unique functional and morphological diagnostic investigations and several auxiliary disciplines, such as biochemistry, pathological anatomy, physiology, cell biology, neuroendocrinology, neuro-gastroenterology, immunology, molecular biology and genetics [ 3 ].…”