Gastrointestinal involvement in children with SARS-COV-2 infection: an
overview for the pediatrician
Abstract
Gastrointestinal symptoms are common findings in children with
SARS-CoV-2 infection.Diarrhea and vomiting have been reported in about
8-9% of cases, reaching more than 20% in some studies. Children with
gastrointestinal involvement appear to be younger than those without,
but the severity of the disease seems to be similar between the two
groups of subjects.Fecal shedding in children has been reported in
20-30% of children and has been observed both in those with and those
without overt gastrointestinal involvement. Moreover, prolonged fecal
elimination, lasting several days after negativization of real-time
polymerase chain reaction assay on respiratory swabs, have been reported
with variable frequency in children with SARS-CoV-2 infection. These
observations raise the question regarding the possibility of oral-fecal
transmission and the possible role of children in spreading the
infection, particularly when they appear asymptomatic or with
gastrointestinal symptoms but with no respiratory involvement, as well
as during their convalescent phase.