Coronavirus symptom: Here's how you can find out if your stomach ache is related to COVID infection

There isn't an organ that the coronavirus has not put an impact on. The virus, which was first found in 2019 in China's Wuhan, has so far produced a number of variants, 5 of which are aggressive in nature and have been declared variants of concern by the World Health Organisation (WHO). Not just after the immediate infection, the impact of coronavirus is seen in people even months after recovery.

The symptom of a coronavirus attack in the body depends on the way the host's immune system reacts to the pathogen.

Though there are few common symptoms of COVID infection like fever, sore throat, runny nose, there are few other symptoms which are distinct and vary from person to person.

One such symptom is stomach ache or abdominal pain.

Stomach ache is a symptom of COVID as much fever, sore throat and runny nose are. "A recent study showed that 1 in 5 people who tested positive for COVID-19 had at least one gastrointestinal symptom, such as diarrhea, vomiting, or belly pain. Of those hospitalized, 25.9% had gastrointestinal issues," a report carried by WebMD says.

In March 2020, just around when the COVID-19 disease was declared a global pandemic, a report carried by the Forbes said that stomach ache and diarrhea may be the first signs of COVID infection. The report referred to a study published in the American Journal of Gastroenterology. "The take-away from this study is that COVID-19 patients diagnosed with gastrointestinal symptoms had an adverse outcome and increased risk of death compared to those without the symptoms. This underscores the need to evaluate GI symptoms— nausea, vomiting or diarrhea— as a potential presentation of COVID-19, prior to development of respiratory symptoms," Forbes reported.

Another study of 25,252 individuals found that the common gastrointestinal symptoms of COVID are lack of appetite, loss of smell and taste, diarrhea, nausea, abdominal pain and vomiting of blood.

"COVID-related abdominal pains are a generalised pain around the middle of your belly. You might feel sore all around the belly area," says ZOE COVID Study. "When present, abdominal pains usually occur in the first few days of illness and, in most people, tend to go quite quickly (within one or two days)," says the April 2021 report. While citing it to be a fairly rare symptom, the study says that if it appears clustered with other symptoms like diarrhea and shortness of breath then one should get tested for COVID.

“In milder cases, abdominal pains usually appear alongside headaches and fatigue. They also tend to occur with a loss of smell and unusual muscle pains in adults. Abdominal pains can also sometimes happen alongside fever, a sore throat, and skipping meals across all age groups,” study also says.

A November 2020 research study found that SARS-CoV-2 disrupts angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) activity and infects the intestinal epithelium by inducing cytotoxicity, and then it is shed into feces, resulting in gastrointestinal symptoms and/or positive SARS-CoV-2 viral load or RNA in stool.

Coronavirus enters intestinal and respiratory cells using ACE-2 protein as a receptor. “When SARS-CoV-2 particles leave an infected cell, it triggers the release of cytokines, small proteins that play a role in inflammation. This process may cause gastrointestinal symptoms," says a report.

The November 2020 study also says that although COVID-19 is characterized by respiratory tract manifestations, gastrointestinal symptoms are not uncommon and in many cases, gastrointestinal symptoms, particularly diarrhea, can be the initial presentation of COVID-19 in patients who may later (or never) present with respiratory symptoms.