Gastrointestinal Sequelae of COVID-19: Investigating Post-Infection Complications—A Systematic Review

Abstract

Gastrointestinal (GI) complications are significant manifestations of COVID-19 and are increasingly being recognized. These complications range from severe acute pancreatitis to colitis, adding complexity to diagnosis and management. A comprehensive database search was conducted using several databases. Our inclusion criteria encompassed studies reporting severe and long-term GI complications of COVID-19. Digestive disorders were categorized into infections, inflammatory conditions, vascular disorders, structural abnormalities, other diagnoses, and undiagnosed conditions. Of the 73 studies that were selected for full-text review, only 24 met our inclusion criteria. The study highlights a broad range of gastrointestinal complications following COVID-19 infection (excluding liver complications, which are examined separately), including inflammatory conditions, such as ulcerative colitis (UC), acute pancreatitis, and multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C). Other GI complications were reported such as vascular disorders, including diverse thrombotic events and structural abnormalities, which ranged from bowel perforations to adhesions. Additionally, undiagnosed conditions like nausea and abdominal pain were prevalent across different studies involving 561 patients. The findings emphasize the substantial impact of COVID-19 on the GI tract. Ongoing research and monitoring are crucial to understanding the long-term effects and developing effective management strategies for these complications.

Keywords

• COVID-19
• SARS-CoV-2
• post-COVID sequelae
• long-COVID
• digestive tract gastrointestinal tract
• COVID-19 complications