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

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