Post‐infection functional gastrointestinal disorders following coronavirus disease‐19: A case–control study

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Because acute infectious gastroenteritis may cause post-infection irritable bowel syndrome and functional dyspepsia and the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 affects gastrointestinal (GI) tract, coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) may cause post-infection-functional GI disorders (FGIDs). We prospectively studied the frequency and spectrum of post-infection-FGIDs among COVID-19 and historical healthy controls and the risk factors for its development. METHODS: Two hundred eighty patients with COVID-19 and 264 historical healthy controls were followed up at 1 and 3 months using translated validated Rome Questionnaires for the development of chronic bowel dysfunction (CBD), dyspeptic symptoms, and their overlap and at 6-month for IBS, uninvestigated dyspepsia (UD) and their overlap. Psychological comorbidity was studied using Rome III Psychosocial Alarm Questionnaire. RESULTS: At 1…