Aim: The current research aimed to analyze and summarize observational studies that compared the incidence of gastrointestinal symptoms in mild and severe COVID-19 infection. Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been identified as a public health threat worldwide. Previous studies, however, have reported contradictory results of COVID-19-related gastrointestinal symptoms in severe and mild forms. Methods: A search of Medline, ISI Web of Science, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library databases was conducted for articles published up to May 2020. Data from each study was combined using the random-effects model to calculate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs). Sensitivity was examined by sequentially excluding one study in each turn. Publication bias was evaluated using the Egger’s and Begg’s tests. Results: Twenty studies (4,265 patients) were reviewed. It was found that the prevalence of diarrhea [OR (0.40), (95% CI 0.91, -2.16), p = 0.03, I2 = 88.1%, PHeterogenity = 0.00)] and nausea and vomiting [OR (0.27), (95% CI 0.07, 1.01), p = 0.05, I2 = 89.3%, PHeterogenity = 0.00)] increased significantly in the severe form compared to the mild form of COVID-19, while abdominal pain and anorexia had no significant increased prevalence in admitted and hospitalized COVID-19 patients. Moreover, COVID-19-related gastrointestinal symptoms were seen in higher rates in males [OR (1.42), (95% CI 1.23, 1.65), p < 0.05, I2= 18.4%, PHeterogenity = 0.23] than in females. No significant publication bias was observed in the meta-analysis. Sensitivity analyses showed a similar effect size while reducing the heterogeneity. Conclusion: The data provides valuable information for the discovery of prognosis biomarkers to diagnosis more severe disease in the early stages of COVID-19.
【저자키워드】 COVID-19, Meta-analysis, coronavirus, Digestive symptoms, gastrointestinal symptoms, 【초록키워드】 Coronavirus disease 2019, Biomarker, Prognosis, Diagnosis, abdominal pain, diarrhea, database, heterogeneity, observational study, Prevalence, male, Research, Mild, incidence, information, early stage, patients, Analysis, Odds ratio, severe disease, Severe COVID-19 Infection, Web of Science, hospitalized COVID-19 patients, 95% CI, 95% confidence interval, anorexia, Cochrane Library, nausea, effect size, random-effects model, 95% CIs, article, vomiting, forms, public health threat, Gastrointestinal symptom, ISI, females, examined, significantly, reported, evaluated, conducted, provide, reducing, had no, turn, calculate, Publication bia, 【제목키워드】 Symptom, Patient, Gastrointestinal, Mild,