In the Time of Coronavirus: Gastrointestinal Symptoms of COVID-19

While most of us know about fever, cough, sore throat and shortness of breath as symptoms of COVID-19, intestinal symptoms can be present in almost 30% of patients. These include anorexia (loss of appetite), nausea, diarrhea and abdominal pain. Many of us get occasional diarrhea or an episode of vomiting and/or diarrhea that we attribute to something we ate, or food poisoning, etc. If you do develop those symptoms and they are new to you, (many of our patients have chronic diarrhea, for example), please keep in mind that you may be infectious and you should  stay away from public places and be especially vigilant about hand washing, until you know whether you are sick or not. If you have persistent or severe symptoms, or are not sure if you are sick, please contact your doctor

(Julia Korenman MD – Gastroenterology)