Gastrointestinal, hepatic and pancreatic manifestations of COVID-19 in children

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a well-established respi-ratory tract pathogen. Recent studies in adults and children have shown an increasing number of patients reporting gastrointestinal manifestations of SARS-CoV-2 infection such as diarrhoea, nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. SARS-CoV-2 RNA can be detected in faeces for an extended period, even after respiratory samples have tested negative and patients are asymptomatic. However, faecal-oral transmission has not yet been proven. In this article, the latest evidence on gastrointestinal, hepato-biliary, and pancreatic mani-festations in children with coronavirus disease-19 and multisystem inflammatory syndrome will be analysed.(c) 2021 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

SARS-CoV-2 infection is associated with increasing gastrointestinal symptoms in adults and children, and viral RNA can be detected in feces for an extended period, although fecal-oral transmission has not been proven.