covid-19 infection linked to the development of irritable bowel syndrome
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researchers surveyed 2,183 patients who received care for covid-19 in 36 facilities across 14 countries. getty
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a new study has found that gastrointestinal disorders, including irritable bowel syndrome, may be one of the long-term consequences of covid-19.
researchers have long known that many viral infections have the ability to make their way into the gastrointestinal system causing a number of chronic issues, such as altered bowel motility, bloating and abdominal cramping. the new research, published in the journal gut, hoped to determine whether or not an infection by the sars-cov-2 virus would expose patients to the same risks.
“the data we collected show that those who have contracted covid-19 experience gastrointestinal symptoms more frequently than those who have not been affected by it,” said giovanni barbara, coordinator of the study and a full professor in the department of medical and surgical sciences at the university of bologna. “given the vast spread of covid-19 globally, we should therefore expect an increase in diagnoses related to gut-brain interaction disorders.”
researchers arrived at their conclusions by administering a prospective survey to 2,183 patients who received care for covid-19 in 36 facilities across 14 countries (italy, bangladesh, cyprus, egypt, israel, india, macedonia, malaysia, romania, russian federation, serbia, spain, sweden, and turkey). these infected patients were evaluated when they were admitted to the hospital and followed-up on multiple times over the next 12 months. their health data was collected, analyzed and compared to other patients who had not been infected by the virus.
people hospitalized for covid reported g.i. distress
the team found that patients who had been hospitalized for the virus reported symptoms of gastrointestinal distress (59.3 per cent) more frequently than patients who were not sick with the virus (39.7 per cent). this group was more likely to be diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome and these diagnoses were found to be associated with the coexistence of allergies, breathing difficulties while in hospital and the chronic need for proton pump inhibitors (drugs that block the stomach’s ability to produce acid). at the six- and 12-month mark, these patients were also experiencing higher levels of anxiety and depression than those who had not contracted covid-19.
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“we know that the sars-cov-2 virus can also infect the gastrointestinal tract and this confirms the possibility that covid-19 can lead to the development of irritable bowel syndrome,” said giovanni marasco, first author of the study and a researcher in the department of medical and surgical sciences at the university of bologna. “traces of the coronavirus were indeed found in the small intestine even six months after infection. this leads us to believe that the prolonged state of inflammation and activation of the immune system may lead to the development of the gastrointestinal symptoms that were observed.”
as of march 20, 2023, canada has had 4,618,059 cases of covid-19 and 51,800 deaths, according to the government of canada. there has been a general downward trend in hospitalizations since the middle of january, with the highest rate of hospitalization and icu admittance occurring among individuals who are 80 years of age or older.
dave yasvinski is a writer with healthing.ca
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