Source: The Hill
By Joseph Guzman
Chinese researchers analyzed data from more than 200 COVID-19 patients admitted to hospitals in the Hubei province and found almost half said their main complaints were digestive symptoms.
Story at a glance
- The study found 48.5 percent of participants experienced symptoms such as diarrhea, vomiting and abdominal pain.
- The most common issues associated with novel coronavirus are respiratory symptoms, such as coughing or shortness of breath.
- Patients without digestive issues were more likely to be cured and discharged from the hospital.
Digestive issues such as diarrhea or vomiting could be early symptoms of novel coronavirus infection for many, Chinese researchers report in a new study.
Researchers behind the study published in the American Journal of Gastroenterology this week analyzed data from 204 COVID-19 patients who were admitted to three hospitals in the Hubei province between Jan. 18 and Feb 28; the province of Hubei is where the outbreak started in late December.
The study found almost half — 48.5 percent — of participants said their main complaint was digestive symptoms, such as diarrhea, vomiting and abdominal pain. About 7 percent reported experiencing no respiratory symptoms, which is the most common issue associated with the new novel coronavirus.
“Clinicians must bear in mind that digestive symptoms, such as diarrhea, may be a presenting feature of COVID-19,” researchers said in the study. “And that the index of suspicion may need to be raised earlier in these cases rather than waiting for respiratory symptoms to emerge.”
READ MORE OF OUR BREAKING NEWS ABOUT CORONAVIRUS
Coronavirus appears to be more fatal in men than women
The movie ‘Contagion’ is trending again…so what does it tell us about coronavirus?
Can you get coronavirus twice?
How to wash your hands to prevent coronavirus—because you’re probably doing it wrong
Researchers said patients with digestive symptoms experienced a longer time from symptom onset to hospital admission than those without digestive symptoms, nine days versus 7.3 days. The study suggests patients with digestive symptoms waited longer to seek medical attention because they did not suspect they had COVID-19 due to the absence of respiratory symptoms, such as coughing or shortness of breath.
Patients who did not experience digestive symptoms were more likely to be cured and discharged than those with digestive issues, 60 percent versus 34 percent, according to the study.
The study comes as more than 250,000 cases of coronavirus have been confirmed worldwide with more than 10,000 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University data.
Suggested reading by Zia H Shah MD, Chief Editor of the Muslim Times
Corona Fear’s Cure: Chanting from the Bible and the Quran
The self isolation for 70 years and older may last up to 4 months
Does the Ordinary Soap Kill Coronavirus?
Most Dramatic Quarantine: Northern Italy quarantines 16 million people
Islam: China has made eating wild animals illegal after the coronavirus outbreak?
All of humanity are intimate neighbors: Coronavirus proves it once again
Here’s a list of disinfectants you can use against coronavirus
To see the daily new cases and deaths in the top eleven countries go to
When Not Going to Jumma is a Huge Blessing
“We project that roughly 56 percent of our population – 25.5 million people – will be infected with the virus over an eight week period,” Governor Newsom of California wrote on 3/19/2020.
Categories: Health, The Muslim Times
If the novel coronavirus wasn’t so dangerous, this would be such a fascinating time for medicine. A respiratory illness that causes gastrointestinal stress? What a strange, strange virus.