Potential long COVID-19 gastrointestinal symptoms 6 months after coronavirus infection are associated with mental health symptoms, 2021,Blackett et al

This survey study, nested within a prospective cohort of COVID-19 survivors with a minimum of 6 months of follow-up time, assessed the hypothesis that mental health symptoms both preceding and following COVID-19 infection would be associated with post-COVID chronic GI symptoms (see Methods Supplement for full study details). Of 1,783 patients surveyed, 749 (42%) responded (67% female, median age 43). The cohort was 61% white, 9.6% Black, and 20% other races, with 9.6% choosing not to answer; it was 28% Hispanic and 70% non-Hispanic, with 2% choosing not to answer. 93% of the respondents completed the survey in English, and 6.8% in Spanish. 15% of the patients had been hospitalized for COVID, with 1.7% requiring mechanical ventilation.

Six months after COVID diagnosis, 220 patients (29%) reported GI symptoms self-perceived to be COVID-related. These included 72 (9.6%) with diarrhea, 83 (11%) with constipation, 70 (9.4%) with abdominal pain, 53 (7.1%) with nausea/vomiting, and 122 (16%) with heartburn (Table 1). A GI symptom was the most bothersome current symptom in 83 patients (11%).

Thirty-nine patients (5.2%) reported pre-COVID mental health symptoms(which were not further classified in the survey), and 280 (37%) reported post-COVID mental health symptoms (27% with sadness, 34% with anxiety). Patients with pre-COVID mental health symptoms were more likely than those without to report GI symptoms post-COVID (49% vs. 28% respectively, p=0.01, Table 1 and Supplemental Figure 1A). Similarly, patients who reported sadness or anxiety post-COVID were more likely to also have GI symptoms post-COVID (55% with sadness/anxiety vs 14% without, p<0.01, Table 1 and Supplemental Figure 1B). Of the 39 patients reporting pre-COVID mental health symptoms, 29 (74%) reported current anxiety or sadness, and 19 (49%) reported current GIsymptoms, all of whom also reported current sadness or anxiety. There was increasing likelihood of sadness or anxiety with more severe GI symptoms (Cochran-Armitage test for trend p=0.02).

Open access, https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0016508521037124

 

Article about study:

In Long COVID, GI and Mental Health Symptoms 'Go Hand in Hand', https://www.medpagetoday.com/gastroenterology/generalgastroenterology/95400