Peer-review started: April 9, 2020
First decision: April 18, 2020
Revised: April 19, 2020
Accepted: May 12, 2020
Article in press: May 12, 2020
Published online: May 25, 2020
Processing time: 42 Days and 21.5 Hours
Patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) predominantly present with the pulmonary symptoms such as fever, cough, and shortness of breath. We present a case of an 83 years old patient with COVID-19 who presented with only gastrointestinal symptoms without respiratory complaints. Our case raises the concern regarding our current lack of understanding of extrapulmonary manifestations of COVID-19. Given genetic homology between 2019 severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) 2 and SARS-CoV, our case underscores the urgent need for further studies to understand the role of the gastrointestinal system in 2019 SARS-CoV-2 transmission and COVID-19 pathogenesis.
Core tip: We present a case of an 83 years old patient with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) who presented with only gastrointestinal symptoms without respiratory complaints. Our case raises the concern regarding our current lack of understanding of extrapulmonary manifestations of COVID-19 and underscores the urgent need for further studies to understand the role of the gastrointestinal system in 2019 severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 transmission and COVID-19 pathogenesis.