Gastrointestinal Manifestations of COVID-19: Impact on Nutrition Practices

Abstract

Although Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is primarily a respiratory disease, growing evidence shows that it can affect the digestive system and present with gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms. Various nutrition societies have recently published their guidelines in context of the pandemic, and several points emphasize the impact of these GI manifestations on nutrition therapy. In patients with COVID-19, the normal intestinal mucosa can be disrupted by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) virus, and this could result in GI symptoms and a compromise in nutrient absorption. Optimization of oral diet is still recommended. However, given the GI effects of COVID-19, a fraction of infected patients have poor appetite and would not be able to meet their nutrition goals with oral diet alone. For this at-risk group, which includes those who are critically ill, enteral nutrition is the preferred route to promote gut integrity and immune function. In carrying this out, nutrition support practices have been revised in such ways to mitigate viral transmission and adapt to the pandemic. All measures in the GI and nutrition care of patients are clustered to limit exposure of healthcare workers. Among patients admitted to intensive care units, a significant barrier is GI intolerance, and it appears to be exacerbated by significant GI involvement specific to the SARS-CoV-2 infection. Nevertheless, several countermeasures can be used to ease side effects. At the end of the spectrum in which intolerance persists, the threshold for switching to parenteral nutrition may need to be lowered.

Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; digestive system; enteral nutrition; gastrointestinal symptoms; gastrointestinal tract; nutrition support; parenteral nutrition.