Researchers detailed the clinical characteristics of five patients who were hospitalized with nonrespiratory symptoms and were later confirmed to have COVID-19, between Jan. 23 and Feb. 20 at a children’s hospital in China.
Four of the five children had digestive tract symptoms as the first manifestation of COVID-19, said Dr. Wenbin Li, one of the study authors and a pediatrician in China. Gastrointestinal symptoms included acute diarrhea or vomiting and intussusception, a condition involving an obstruction of the intestine.
“Based on our experience of dealing with COVID-19 in regions where this virus is epidemic, children suffering from digestive tract symptoms, especially with fever and/or a history of exposure to this disease, should be suspected of being infected with this virus,” Dr. Li said.
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