This article was published on: 06/14/21 11:11 AM
Last updated on January 3rd, 2022 at 10:02 am
Researchers have observed a previously unrecognized association between COVID-19 and acute appendicitis. Cases have been noted where patients present with appendicitis-like symptoms, only for them to actually be infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
A person infected with SARS-CoV-2 most often presents with respiratory symptoms, including dry cough, itching in the throat, chest pains, pneumonia, nasal blockage, etc.
However, there have been reports of cases where patients come in with gastrointestinal symptoms. These may include – loss of appetite, diarrhea, vomiting, nausea, and abdominal pain.
Doctors often diagnose such patients with appendicitis as the symptoms are classic of the ailment. However, scans reveal a healthy appendix. The scans of these same patients are also seen to have patchy lung readings. When doctors recommend a test for the SARS-CoV-2 virus, results come back positive.
Research has suggested that patients diagnosed with appendicitis who undergo pre-procedure testing have a significantly higher chance of having unrecognized COVID-19. Therefore, the advice is that patients who come in presenting with appendicitis-like symptoms might benefit from getting tested for COVID-19 as well.
Moreover, there is also a suggestion that the SARS-CoV-2 virus might contribute to the pathogenesis of appendicitis, especially in children. Gastrointestinal involvement is increasingly being recognized in children infected with COVID-19. The gastrointestinal and cardiovascular systems are being recognized as the most commonly affected as symptoms of a severe SARS-CoV-2 infection, especially among children 5 years old and under. Diarrhea and abdominal pain are the most commonly reported symptoms in GI presentations of a mild-severe SARS-CoV-2 infection. Persistent viral infection in the GI tract has been observed in many cases both in children and adults. In fact, a study conducted in 2020 found that 1/5th of SARS-CoV-2-infected patients had detectable viral RNA in their fecal samples.
Currently, most cases of appendicitis-related complications are associated with the SARS-CoV-2 virus which has been observed in clusters across North America and Europe. Almost none have been reported in Asia. Caution still must be exercised.
The advice is to test for the SARS-CoV-2 virus in patients presenting with gastrointestinal symptoms. This may be one of the more uncommon, but very probable, presentations of the virus.
