Gastroenterol Clin North Am. 2023 Mar;52(1):115-138.doi: 10.1016/j.gtc.2022.10.002. Epub 2022 Oct 7.

Mitchell S Cappell ¹, Martin Tobi ², David M Friedel ³

Author information

¹Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Aleda E. Lutz Veterans Hospital, Gastroenterology Service, Main Building, Room 3212, 1500 Weiss Street, Saginaw, MI 48602, USA. Electronic address: mitchell.cappell@va.gov.

²Department of Research and Development, John D. Dingell Veterans Affairs Medical Center, 4747 John R. Street, Detroit, MI 48201, USA.

³Division of Therapeutic Endoscopy, Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, NY of New York University Langone Hospital, 259 1st Street, Mineola, NY 11501, USA.

Abstract

The novel coronavirus pandemic of COVID-19 has emerged as a highly significant recent threat to global health with about 600,000,000 known infections and more than 6,450,000 deaths worldwide since its emergence in late 2019. COVID-19 symptoms are predominantly respiratory, with mortality largely related to pulmonary manifestations, but the virus also potentially infects all parts of the gastrointestinal tract with related symptoms and manifestations that affect patient treatment and outcome. COVID-19 can directly infect the gastrointestinal tract because of the presence of widespread angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 receptors in the stomach and small intestine that can cause local COVID-19 infection and associated inflammation. This work reviews the pathopysiology, clinical manifestations, workup, and treatment of miscellaneous inflammatory disorders of the gastrointestinal tract other than inflammatory bowel disease.