Chronic GI Disorders Surfaced Months After COVID--study

Four in 10 COVID-19 patients from disadvantaged communities developed new post-COVID gastrointestinal disorders, including functional dyspepsia (FD) and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), researchers found in a retrospective study.

In a survey of 200 individuals, 39.5% developed de novo post-COVID gastrointestinal disorders, with 58 reporting FD-like complaints, two reporting IBS-like complaints, and 19 reporting both, according to researchers led by Christopher Vélez, MD, of the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, and colleagues.

After adjustment, anxiety and depression (OR 3.27, 95% CI 1.65-6.58) and female sex (OR 2.38, 95% CI 1.20-4.84) were independently associated with incident FD or IBS-like post-COVID gastrointestinal disorders, the authors wrote in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology.

They described the cohort as being a "predominantly medically underserved community," with 87% from racial/ethnic minority communities, and 97% living in "disadvantaged" zip codes. ...