Gastrointestinal manifestations of pediatric COVID-19 patients aged 1 month to 12 years admitted to a tertiary care hospital, South India: A retrospective analysis

ABSTRACT Background: SARS-CoV-2, which is primarily a respiratory disease, is known to cause extrapulmonary manifestations, one of which is the involvement of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. A spectrum of signs and symptoms of GI involvement has been described for both adults and children. The present study was undertaken to estimate the prevalence and describe the spectrum of GI manifestations and to test their association with age, gender, COVID-19 wave, and isolated cases of GI COVID-19 and those with concomitant respiratory symptoms. Methods: This was a retrospective cross-sectional study on children aged 1 month to 12 years who were COVID-19 positive and having GI complaints. Details were gathered from the case records on a prestructured pro forma, and data analyzed using descriptives and tests of association, namely Chi-square, Fisher’s exact, and independent samples t -test. All P < 0.05 were statistically significant. Results: GI symptoms were present in 53 patients out of 147 COVID positive admitted children (36.1%). The most common symptoms were vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain. Older children had more frequent headache, abdominal pain, and abdominal tenderness. Male children had poor appetite or feeding problems. Total leukocyte count was normal in most cases. The most common finding in the differential count was elevation in lymphocyte percentage, followed by reduction in neutrophil percent. Mild transaminitis was observed in the samples tested. Conclusion: GI symptoms are observed in one-third of the subjects.