About one-third of patients who present with COVID-19 have gastrointestinal symptoms, according to a US study.

Researchers from Columbia University, New York, compared the rates of gastrointestinal symptoms in 278 patients who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 with rates in 238 patients who tested negative.

All had undergone nasopharyngeal swab testing for SARS-CoV-2 at outpatient clinics between 10 March and 21 March.

Patients with gastrointestinal symptoms — defined as diarrhoea or nausea/vomiting — at the time of testing were significantly more likely to test positive for COVID-19 than to test negative (61% vs 39%), while patients without gastrointestinal symptoms were equally likely to test positive or negative.