HealthDay Reports: Studies Show COVID-19 Can Infect and Harm Digestive Organs
The coronavirus isn't just a respiratory illness that affects your lungs — it may also hurt your gastrointestinal tract, according to new research.
Studies Show COVID-19 Can Infect and Harm Digestive Organs
THURSDAY, May 14, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- The new coronavirus isn't just attacking the lungs: New research shows it's causing harm to the gastrointestinal tract, especially in more advanced cases of COVID-19.
A variety of imaging scans performed on hospitalized COVID-19 patients showed bowel abnormalities, according to a study published online May 11 in Radiology. Many of the effects were severe and linked with clots and impairment of blood flow.
"Some findings were typical of bowel ischemia, or dying bowel, and in those who had surgery we saw small vessel clots beside areas of dead bowel," said study lead author Dr. Rajesh Bhayana, who works in the department of radiology at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.
"Patients in the ICU can have bowel ischemia for other reasons, but we know COVID-19 can lead to clotting and small vessel injury, so bowel might also be affected by this," Bhayana explained in a journal news release.