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Review
. 2021 Dec:61:114-119.
doi: 10.1016/j.coph.2021.09.005. Epub 2021 Sep 25.

Gastrointestinal manifestations and SARS-CoV-2 infection

Antonio Pizuorno  1 , Hassan Brim  2 , Hassan Ashktorab  3
Affiliations
Review

Gastrointestinal manifestations and SARS-CoV-2 infection

Antonio Pizuorno et al. Curr Opin Pharmacol. 2021 Dec.

Abstract

Since COVID-19 occurrence in late 2019, intense research efforts on an unprecedented scale have focused on the study of named severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) entry mechanisms and clinical presentations. As for other coronaviruses, SARS-CoV-2 presents with extrarespiratory clinical manifestations such as diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain which highlight that the gastrointestinal (GI) system as another viral target along with the typical presentations of COVID-19 which is characterized primarily by respiratory symptoms. The digestive system is involved in many systemic functions through the gut-brain axis and systemic immunity modulation. Therefore, the GI system plays an important role in the presentation of the disease, pathogenesis, and possibly treatment outcomes. This minireview summarizes recent work to study SARS-CoV-2 infection as it relates to comorbidities, GI symptoms. This will help to strategize the priorities in understanding the impact of the virus on outcomes in various aspects.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interest statement Nothing declared.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Schematic SARS-CoV-2 infection and entry to the cells. Viral particle entry was mediated by ACE2 receptor and TMPRSS2 in the gut. Viral genome is released and then translated, replicated and transcribed so it can infected other cells and be excreted via exocytosis and stimulate the production of proinflammatory cytokines which will influence the immune response both in the gut and in the lung via the gut–lung axis. SARS-CoV-2, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; ACE2, angiotensin-converting enzyme 2; TMPRSS2, transmembrane serine protease 2.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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