Meta-analysis of the demographic and prognostic significance of gastrointestinal symptoms in COVID-19 patients

Shafquat Zaman*, Shahin Hajibandeh, Shahab Hajibandeh, Ali Yasen Y Mohamedahmed, Mohammed E El-Asrag, Nabil Quraishi, Tariq H Iqbal, Andrew D Beggs

*Corresponding author for this work

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Abstract

Background and Aim: To evaluate the demographic and prognostic significance of gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

Methods: A systematic search of electronic information sources was conducted. Combined overall effect sizes were calculated using random-effects models for baseline demographic factors and outcomes including mortality, intensive care unit (ICU) admission, and length of hospital stay.

Results: Twenty-four comparative observational studies reporting a total of 51 522 COVID-19 patients with (n = 6544) or without (n = 44 978) GI symptoms were identified. The patients with GI symptoms were of comparable age (mean difference [MD]: 0.25, 95% confidence interval [CI] -2.42 to 2.92, P = 0.86), rate of pre-existing hypertension (odds ratio [OR]: 1.11, 95% CI 0.86-1.42, P = 0.42), diabetes mellitus (OR: 1.14, 95% CI 0.91-1.44, P = 0.26), and coronary artery disease (OR: 1.00, 95% CI 0.86-1.16, P = 0.98) compared with those without GI symptoms. However, there were significantly more male patients in the GI symptoms group (OR: 0.85, 95% CI 0.75-0.95, P = 0.005). The presence of GI symptoms was associated with similar risk of mortality (OR: 0.73; 95% CI 0.47-1.13, P = 0.16), ICU admission (OR: 1.15; 95% CI 0.67-1.96, P = 0.62), and length of hospital stay (MD: 0.43; 95% CI -0.73 to 1.60, P = 0.47) when compared with their absence.

Conclusion: Meta-analysis of the best possible available evidence demonstrated that GI symptoms in COVID-19 patients do not seem to affect patients with any specific demographic patterns and may not have any important prognostic significance. Although no randomized studies can be conducted on this topic, future high-quality studies can provide stronger evidence to further understand the impact of GI symptoms on outcomes of COVID-19 patients.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)711-722
JournalJGH open : an open access journal of gastroenterology and hepatology
Volume6
Issue number10
Early online date29 Aug 2022
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Oct 2022

Bibliographical note

© 2022 The Authors. JGH Open published by Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology Foundation and John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.

Keywords

  • coronavirus disease 2019
  • gastrointestinal symptoms
  • meta-analysis

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