Long COVID-19 tied to greater risk of GI dysfunction and GERD

According to a recent study published in BMC Medicine, There is a link between COVID-19 and the long-term risk of digestive system disorders. COVID-19 patients are at a higher risk of developing digestive diseases, which escalate with severity, reinfection, and persistence even after 1-year follow-up. This underscores the importance of long-term follow-up strategies for at-risk patients.

In this study with up to 2.6 years follow-up, the COVID-19 group (n = 112,311), the contemporary comparison group (n = 359,671) and the historical comparison group (n = 370,979) predated the COVID-19 outbreak were built using UK Biobank database. The patients in these groups were 112311, 359671, and 370979, respectively. Each digestive outcome was diagnosed 30 days or more after the onset of COVID-19 infection or the index date. Cox regression models were used to determine Hazard ratios and corresponding 95 % CI.

Key findings from the study are:

• Compared with the contemporary comparison group, patients with previous COVID-19 infection had higher risks of digestive diseases. This included ,with HR 1.38, 1.23,1.41,1.21,1.35,1.27 and 1.36 respectively.
• The risks of GERD were increased stepwise with the severity of the COVID-19 infection(acute phase).
• Even after a 1-year follow-up, GERD and GI dysfunction continued to pose risks to COVID-19 patients, with HR of 1.64 and 1.35, respectively.
• Compared to those with one SARS-CoV-2 infection, reinfected patients were at a higher risk of pancreatic diseases with HR 2.57.
• The results were consistent when using historical cohort as the comparison group.

They said that our study added evidence of the long-term impact of COVID-19 on the digestive system. There is a risk of GI dysfunction and GERD requiring long-term follow-up. Our study highlights the need for long-term care and management of COVID-19 patients to monitor potential post-acute complications of the digestive system.

Study strength includes a long-term follow-up period, UK Biobank use, two comparison groups, and subgroup analyses.

Reference:

Ma, Y., Zhang, L., Wei, R. et al. Risks of digestive diseases in long COVID: evidence from a population-based cohort study. BMC Med 22, 14 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12916-023-03236-4