Epidemiological, clinical and virological characteristics of 74 cases of coronavirus-infected disease 2019 (COVID-19) with gastrointestinal symptoms

Abstract

Objective: The SARS-CoV-2-infected disease (COVID-19) outbreak is a major threat to human beings. Previous studies mainly focused on Wuhan and typical symptoms. We analysed 74 confirmed COVID-19 cases with GI symptoms in the Zhejiang province to determine epidemiological, clinical and virological characteristics.

Design: COVID-19 hospital patients were admitted in the Zhejiang province from 17 January 2020 to 8 February 2020. Epidemiological, demographic, clinical, laboratory, management and outcome data of patients with GI symptoms were analysed using multivariate analysis for risk of severe/critical type. Bioinformatics were used to analyse features of SARS-CoV-2 from Zhejiang province.

Results: Among enrolled 651 patients, 74 (11.4%) presented with at least one GI symptom (nausea, vomiting or diarrhoea), average age of 46.14 years, 4-day incubation period and 10.8% had pre-existing liver disease. Of patients with COVID-19 with GI symptoms, 17 (22.97%) and 23 (31.08%) had severe/critical types and family clustering, respectively, significantly higher than those without GI symptoms, 47 (8.14%) and 118 (20.45%). Of patients with COVID-19 with GI symptoms, 29 (39.19%), 23 (31.08%), 8 (10.81%) and 16 (21.62%) had significantly higher rates of fever >38.5°C, fatigue, shortness of breath and headache, respectively. Low-dose glucocorticoids and antibiotics were administered to 14.86% and 41.89% of patients, respectively. Sputum production and increased lactate dehydrogenase/glucose levels were risk factors for severe/critical type. Bioinformatics showed sequence mutation of SARS-CoV-2 with m⁶A methylation and changed binding capacity with ACE2.

Conclusion: We report COVID-19 cases with GI symptoms with novel features outside Wuhan. Attention to patients with COVID-19 with non-classic symptoms should increase to protect health providers.

Keywords: diarrhoea; infectious disease.

Figure 1

Sequence and protein model structure analysis of three virus strains. (A) The potential methylation sites of S protein gene sequences of SARS, Wuhan-Hu-1 and ZJ01 were analysed. The red arrows represent the positions of high-confidence methylation sites in the S protein gene sequences. Blue arrows represent conserved methylation sites in the three strains. (B) The amino acid sequences of Wuhan-Hu-1 and ZJ01 S protein are aligned. The black box marks the mutation sites. (C) The red circle marks the difference of electrostatic power distribution in receptor binding domain (RBD) region between SARS and Wuhan-Hu-1. The green ellipse indicates the change in the electrostatic distribution of the S proteins due to the mutation of the ZJ01 S protein.