Since the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic emerged, healthcare has focused not only on the acute infection, but also on the after-effects that many people continue to experience years later having overcome the initial illness. The symptoms of long Covid can affect multiple body systems, including those related to the Digestive system, which are becoming increasingly clinically relevant.
What is long COVID?
Persistent COVID is defined as the presence of symptoms that continue or reappear after overcoming the acute phase of COVID-19 infection, and which prolong for more than 4 to 12 weeks. These symptoms can fluctuate and affect various bodily functions, from the nervous system to the immune system, and the digestive system.
How does Covid affect the digestive system
Although from the start of the pandemic, COVID-19 symptoms have mainly been associated with the respiratory system, it has also been shown that the digestive system can be affected.
In fact, in the most severe stages of the illness, it was common for patients to present symptoms such as Nausea, diarrhoea, loss of appetite o abdominal pain. However, most commonly, these long-term covid symptoms persist for weeks or even months after the acute phase of the virus has passed.
This can be explained by the close connection between the nervous system and the digestive system, a relationship that the Neurogastroenterology It helps to understand and that becomes especially relevant in these cases.
Main digestive symptoms of long Covid
The duration and intensity of long COVID symptoms can vary with each patient, but the most common ones are:
- Chronic diarrhoea.
- Persistent nausea.
- Bloated stomach y gases.
- Abdominal pain or discomfort.
- Indigestion feeling of heaviness, heartburn, or slow digestion.
- Loss of appetite o taste disturbances.
Clinical approach
En general, el tratamiento del COVID persistente se adapta de individualised form, depending on the specific symptoms presented by each patient. It is essential to perform a medical evaluation to rule out that these manifestations have another underlying cause.
Some medical guidelines can be considered as part of the approach, always under the supervision and prior evaluation of a specialist.
- Modified diets.
- Probiotics and supplements according to clinical assessment.
- Referral to gastroenterology Neuromodulators to modify the gut-brain axis response.
In most cases, the The digestive system is one of the organs most affected in people who have had COVID-19 and continue to present symptoms over time. Properly recognising these symptoms is key to providing adequate care and offering the necessary recommendations for their management and treatment.
Ours Team of digestive doctors in Madrid specialises in the comprehensive management of these cases, providing accurate diagnoses and personalised follow-up for each patient.
