Are Gastrointestinal Symptoms Specific for Coronavirus 2019 Infection? A Prospective Case-Control Study From the United States

The reported prevalence of gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms, including anorexia, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain, in severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection has been highly variable, ranging from 5% to 61%.1-7 Although the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines for testing for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) include vomiting and diarrhea, to our knowledge, all studies to date have been retrospective, and none have evaluated the prevalence of GI symptoms among patients who tested negative for COVID19. In this prospective case-control study, we compared the prevalence of GI symptoms between those who tested positive and negative for COVID-19 and determined the association between GI symptoms and COVID-19 diagnosis or outcomes.