Home 5 Articles 5 COVID-19 May Spread via Fecal Matter & Not Just Respiratory Droplets

COVID-19 May Spread via Fecal Matter & Not Just Respiratory Droplets

by | Jun 23, 2020 | Articles, Clinical Diagnostics Insider, Diagnostic Testing and Emerging Technologies

It is a truism that almost nobody questions. Because COVID-19 is a respiratory disease, diagnosis and discharge of patients from hospitals is based on respiratory specimens. However, a new analysis published on June 10 in JAMA Network Open suggests that maybe we have things upside down. The reasoning: While few develop diarrhea from the virus, viral shedding from SARS-CoV-2 has been reported in stool samples of more than 40% persons diagnosed with COVID-19, suggesting that their feces may be spreading the disease. The Study The primary reported symptoms of COVID-19 are cough, fever and breathing problems. But; diarrhea is also commonly reported and is now among the symptoms U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) lists on its COVID-19 Self-Checker guidelines.  With this in mind, Sravanthi Parasa, M.D., of Swedish Medical Center in Seattle, analyzed data from 29 different COVID-19 studies. More precisely, Parasa and her colleagues reviewed data from nearly 1,500 studies of COVID-19 and focused on the results from the 29 that included data on gastrointestinal symptoms. Those studies had a total enrollment of 4,805 participants.  The Findings Overall, the researchers found that 7.4 percent of the participants in the 29 studies reported diarrhea and 4.6 percent experienced […]

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