Given that COVID-19 may include stomach and bowel symptoms, gastroenterologists may consider the coronavirus illness when evaluating patients with GI complaints along with upper respiratory symptoms, researchers said.
Moreover, patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) could be considered at high risk for COVID-19 if they are being treated with immunosuppressive agents, according to Ryan Ungaro, MD, of Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City, and colleagues writing in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology.
Recently, several GI societies, led by the American Gastroenterological Association, released joint clinical insights for gastroenterologists, noting "recent evidence suggesting the potential for coronavirus transmission through droplets and perhaps fecal shedding," posing a risk during endoscopy and colonoscopy procedures.