Gastrointestinal Coronavirus disease 2019: epidemiology, clinical features, pathogenesis, prevention and management.

Gastrointestinal Coronavirus disease 2019: epidemiology, clinical features, pathogenesis, prevention and management. Expert Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2020 Sep 21;: Authors: Simona D, Lorena T, Davide F, Stefano DG, Marcello C, Federico M, Germano O, Luchino C, Giovanni CM, Melis A, Gaya S, Luigi Z, Angelo R Abstract INTRODUCTION: The new Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the etiologic agent of coronavirus disease 2019. Some authors reported evidences that patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection could have a direct involvement of the gastrointestinal tract, and in symptomatic cases, gastrointestinal symptoms (diarrhea, nausea/vomiting, abdominal pain) could be very common. Area covered: In this article, we reviewed current published data of the gastrointestinal aspects involved in SARS-CoV-2 infection, including prevalence and incidence of specific symptoms, presumptive biological mechanism of GI infection, prognosis, clinical management and public health related concerns on the possible risk of oral-fecal transmission. Expert opinion: Different clues point to a direct virus infection and replication in mucosal cells of the gastrointestinal tract. In vitro studies showed that SARS-CoV-2 could enters into the gastrointestinal epithelial cells by the Angiotensin-Converting enzyme 2 membrane receptor. These findings, coupled with identification of viral RNA found in stools of patients, clearly suggest that a dir...
Source: Expert Review of Gastroenterology and Hepatology - Category: Gastroenterology Tags: Expert Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol Source Type: research