Symptom profiles and risk factors for hospitalization in patients with SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19: A Large Cohort from South America

Abstract

The pandemic caused by a novel Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus (SARSCoV-2) can cause several gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms. A recent systematic review showed a prevalence of GI symptoms in 17.6%. The most frequent manifestations were anorexia (26.8%), diarrhea (12.5%), nausea/vomiting (10.2%), and abdominal pain (9.2%)1 , and recent reports showed the detection of viral RNA in stools for prolonged periods (70.3%)1 . We established the frequency and impact of GI symptoms, and viral presence in stools among Chilean patients infected with SARS-CoV-2.