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Gastrointestinal symptoms should be a new focus for clinicians testing for novel coronavirus (COVID-19), according to 2 new papers published online in the journal Gastroenterology.
Although many clinicians were looking at fever and cough in patients, the new information detailed that gastrointestinal issues and stool samples could lead to a COVID-19 diagnosis.
In the first paper, investigators from Shanghai, China, sought to document the symptoms of the COVID-19. Although fever, dry cough, and dyspnea presented in most cases, they wanted to understand what impact the virus had on symptoms such as diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, and abdominal discomfort. So far, those symptoms have varied among different study populations, the authors wrote.
Gastrointestinal Issues Could Help Diagnose Coronavirus
(ETA the articles don't suggest that gastric issues are a symptom. Rather the articles suggest that evidence of the virus can be found in fecal matter. )
I appreciate this link, Henry, but I think we need to be careful not to suggest an expectation of gastric issues, lest people misunderstand the most common symptoms. The whole toilet paper frenzy makes me suspect that there is a widespread assumption that gastric issues are the symptom to watch for.
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