COVID-19 Disease: a gastroenterologist’s perspective

Abstract

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2(SARS-CoV-2) has rapidly resulted into pandemic, as first case of coronavirus disease 2019(covid-19) was detected in Wuhan, China in December; 2019.¹As of 8 june, 2020, over 7 million infections and more than 402,000 deaths had been reported globally. Although the virus primarily affects the respiratory system and is transmitted via respiratory droplets, various gastrointestinal and hepatic manifestations are not uncommon. Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), the major receptor of SARS-CoV-2, is expressed in the gastrointestinal tract and liver cells. The detection of SARS-CoV-2 viral RNA in patients’ stool and the potential for faecal–oral transmission has raised great concern and could pose a challenge for the control and prevention of COVID-19 disease.