Gastrointestinal and Hepatic Manifestations Among Hospitalized Covid-19 Children Publisher Pubmed



Sinaei R^{1, 2} ; Hosseininasab A¹ ; Abbaslou P¹ ; Zeinali M¹ ; Iranmanesh E³ ; Sinaei R^{1, 2} ; Rahmanian K³
Source: BMC Pediatrics Published:2025

Abstract

Background: Gastrointestinal (GI) manifestations have been reported as the most extra-pulmonary manifestations of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Recognizing the various manifestations, especially as presenting symptoms of COVID-19 is of great importance. We aimed to investigate the GI and hepatic manifestations of COVID − 19 in children, determining the factors associated with the disease severity and prognosis related to GI symptoms. Methods: In this retrospective study, children aged 1-month to 16-years who were admitted to Afzalipour Hospital in Kerman, Iran. for a period of one year (from October 2020 to October 2021) with the diagnosis of COVID-19 were included. The comparison of clinical symptoms and laboratory variables in the appendectomy and non-appendectomy groups were evaluated. Patients’ information was extracted from the patient’s medical record and analyzed in SPSS statistical. software. Results: A total of 163 patients (107 boy and 56 girls) with mean age of 4.35 ± 3.86 (range 0.08 to 16) years were included. The most frequent GI symptoms at the time of admission were watery diarrhea (46.6%), vomiting (45.4%), and abdominal pain (32.5%). There was no significant relationship between clinical symptoms and laboratory variables in the appendectomy and non-appendectomy groups, but the severity of COVID-19 was significantly associated with appendicitis (P = 0.03). There was no statistically significant relationship between liver enzyme levels and disease severity and pediatric intensive care unit admission. Conclusions: Although most COVID-19 patients present with GI manifestations, we could not determine the relationship between GI and hepatic manifestations and disease severity in this study. Clinical trial number: Not applicable. © The Author(s) 2025.