Division of Hematology-Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Chi-Mei Medical Center, Liouying, Taiwan.
Department of Senior Welfare and Services, Southern Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Tainan, Taiwan.
Medicine (Baltimore). 2022 Sep 9;101(36):e30297. doi: 10.1097/MD.0000000000030297.
Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), has emerged as a global health concern. This study aimed to review the epidemiology and pathophysiology of COVID-19 and provide evidence for the implementation of control measures. We utilized several online databases, including MEDLINE (National Library of Medicine, Bethesda, Maryland, USA), PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, and Google Scholar, to collect relevant published papers using a combination of the following keywords: "COVID-19," "SARS-CoV-2," "novel coronavirus," "epidemiology," and "pathophysiology." The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines were used in this study. Globally, approximately 3-46% of patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection experience gastrointestinal symptoms. The clinical spectrum of COVID-19 is wide, ranging from mild to severe, and even fatal. COVID-19 was initially reported as a respiratory tract disease; however, gastrointestinal symptoms have only recently been reported. COVID-19 Patients with gastrointestinal symptoms may have more severe clinical manifestations and poor prognosis. This study highlights the need to better understand the mechanisms involved in the development of gastrointestinal symptoms in patients with COVID-19 to prevent the further spread of this pathogen.
新型冠状病毒病（COVID-19）由严重急性呼吸综合征冠状病毒 2 型（SARS-CoV-2）引起，已成为全球关注的健康问题。本研究旨在综述 COVID-19 的流行病学和病理生理学，为实施防控措施提供依据。我们利用包括 MEDLINE（美国马里兰州贝塞斯达市国立卫生研究院）、PubMed、EMBASE、Web of Science 和 Google Scholar 在内的多个在线数据库，采用以下关键词组合检索相关已发表文献：“COVID-19”、“SARS-CoV-2”、“新型冠状病毒”、“流行病学”和“病理生理学”。本研究遵循系统评价和荟萃分析的 Preferred Reporting Items（PRISMA）指南。全球范围内，约 3-46%的 SARS-CoV-2 感染者出现胃肠道症状。COVID-19 的临床谱广泛，从轻症到重症甚至死亡不等。COVID-19 最初被报道为一种呼吸道疾病；然而，胃肠道症状最近才被报道。伴有胃肠道症状的 COVID-19 患者可能具有更严重的临床表现和较差的预后。本研究强调需要更好地了解 COVID-19 患者胃肠道症状发展的相关机制，以防止该病原体的进一步传播。
