Browsing by Author "Conwell, Darwin L."

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    Association of Chronic Pancreatitis Pain Features With Physical, Mental, and Social Health
    (Elsevier, 2023) Yadav, Dhiraj; Askew, Robert L.; Palermo, Tonya; Li, Liang; Andersen, Dana K.; Chen, Minxing; Fisher, William E.; Fogel, Evan L.; Forsmark, Christopher E.; Hart, Phil A.; Othman, Mohamed O.; Pandol, Stephen J.; Park, Walter G.; Topazian, Mark D.; Van Den Eeden, Stephen K.; Swaroop Vege, Santhi; Yang, Yunlong; Serrano, Jose; Conwell, Darwin L.; Consortium for the Study of Chronic Pancreatitis; Diabetes, and Pancreatic Cancer (CPDPC); Medicine, School of Medicine
    Background and aims: Pain is a cardinal symptom of chronic pancreatitis (CP). Using Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) measures, we characterized physical and mental health and symptom profiles of a well-defined cohort of individuals with CP and compared them with control subjects. Among patients with CP, we also examined associations between pain (intensity, temporal nature) and PROMIS symptom profiles and the prevalence of clinically significant psychological comorbidities. Methods: We analyzed baseline data in 488 CP patients and 254 control subjects enrolled in PROCEED (Prospective Evaluation of Chronic Pancreatitis for Epidemiologic and Translational Studies), an ongoing longitudinal cohort study. Participants completed the PROMIS-Global Health, which captures global physical and mental health, and the PROMIS-29 profile, which captures 7 symptom domains. Self-reported pain was categorized by severity (none, mild-moderate, severe) and temporal nature (none, intermittent, constant). Demographic and clinical data were obtained from the PROCEED database. Results: Pain was significantly associated with impairments in physical and mental health. Compared with participants with no pain, CP participants with severe pain (but not mild-moderate pain) had more decrements in each PROMIS domain in multivariable models (effect sizes, 2.54-7.03) and had a higher prevalence of clinically significant depression, anxiety, sleep disturbance, and physical disability (odds ratios, 2.11-4.74). Similar results were noted for constant pain (but not intermittent pain) for PROMIS domains (effect sizes, 4.08-10.37) and clinically significant depression, anxiety, sleep disturbance and physical disability (odds ratios, 2.80-5.38). Conclusions: Severe and constant pain are major drivers for poor psychological and physical health in CP. Systematic evaluation and management of psychiatric comorbidities and sleep disturbance should be incorporated into routine management of patients with CP.
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    Association of Serum Endocannabinoid Levels with Pancreatitis and Pancreatitis-Related Pain
    (Mary Ann Liebert, 2025) Goodman, Marc T.; Lombardi, Christina; Torrens, Alexa; Bresee, Catherine; Saloman, Jami L.; Li, Liang; Yang, Yunlong; Fisher, William E.; Fogel, Evan L.; Forsmark, Christopher E.; Conwell, Darwin L.; Hart, Phil A.; Park, Walter G.; Topazian, Mark; Vege, Santhi S.; Van Den Eeden, Stephen K.; Bellin, Melena D.; Andersen, Dana K.; Serrano, Jose; Yadav, Dhiraj; Pandol, Stephen J.; Piomelli, Daniele; Consortium for the Study of Chronic Pancreatitis, Diabetes, and Pancreatic Cancer (CPDPC); Medicine, School of Medicine
    Background and Aims: This investigation examined the association of pancreatitis and pancreatitis-related pain with serum levels of two endocannabinoid molecules such as anandamide (AEA) and 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG) and two paracannabinoid molecules such as oleoylethanolamide (OEA) and palmitoylethanolamide (PEA). Methods: A case-control study was conducted within the Prospective Evaluation of Chronic Pancreatitis for Epidemiological and Translational Studies, including participants with no pancreas disease (N = 56), chronic abdominal pain of suspected pancreatic origin or indeterminate chronic pancreatitis (CP) (N = 22), acute pancreatitis (N = 33), recurrent acute pancreatitis (N = 57), and definite CP (N = 63). Results: Circulating AEA concentrations were higher in women than in men (p = 0.0499), and PEA concentrations were higher in obese participants than those who were underweight/normal or overweight (p = 0.003). Asymptomatic controls with no pancreatic disease had significantly (p = 0.03) lower concentrations of AEA compared with all disease groups combined. The highest concentrations of AEA were observed in participants with acute pancreatitis, followed by those with recurrent acute pancreatitis, chronic abdominal pain/indeterminant CP, and definite CP. Participants with pancreatitis reporting abdominal pain in the past year had significantly (p = 0.04) higher concentrations of AEA compared with asymptomatic controls. Levels of 2-AG were significantly lower (p = 0.02) among participants reporting abdominal pain in the past week, and pain intensity was inversely associated with concentrations of 2-AG and OEA. Conclusions: Endocannabinoid levels may be associated with stage of pancreatitis, perhaps through activation of the CB1 receptor. Validation of our findings would support the investigation of novel therapeutics, including cannabinoid receptor-1 antagonists, in this patient population.
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    Characterizing mechanism-based pain phenotypes in patients with chronic pancreatitis: a cross-sectional analysis of the PROspective Evaluation of Chronic Pancreatitis for EpidEmiologic and Translational StuDies
    (Wolters Kluwer, 2023) Saloman, Jami L.; Conwell, Darwin L.; Fogel, Evan; Vege, Santhi Swaroop; Li, Liang; Li, Shuang; Andersen, Dana K.; Fisher, William E.; Forsmark, Christopher E.; Hart, Phil A.; Pandol, Stephen J.; Park, Walter G.; Evans Phillips, Anna; Topazian, Mark; Van Den Eeden, Stephen K.; Serrano, Jose; Yadav, Dhiraj; Consortium for the Study of Chronic Pancreatitis, Diabetes and Pancreatic Cancer; Medicine, School of Medicine
    Pain is common in chronic pancreatitis (CP) and profoundly reduces quality of life (QoL). Multiple underlying mechanisms contribute to a heterogenous pain experience and reduce efficacy of pain management. This study was designed to characterize the distribution of mechanism-based pain phenotypes in painful CP. The data analyzed were collected as part of the PROspective Evaluation of Chronic Pancreatitis for EpidEmiologic and Translational StuDies, an NCI/NIDDK-funded longitudinal study of the natural history of CP. The PROspective Evaluation of Chronic pancreatitis for EpidEmiologic and translational stuDies includes patient-reported outcome (PRO) measures of pain, medication use, global health, and QoL. Of subjects (N = 681) with CP, 80% experienced abdominal pain within the year before enrollment. Subjects who experienced pain in the week before enrollment (N = 391) completed PROMIS Neuropathic and Nociceptive Pain Quality instruments which were then used to classify them by pain type: 40% had nociceptive, 5% had neuropathic-like, and 32% had both types of pain. The prevalence of having both types of pain was higher among women and subjects with diabetes mellitus, whereas nociceptive-only pain was more prevalent among men and those with pancreatic duct stricture. Other factors, including pain medication use and healthcare utilization, did not differ between groups based on pain type. Subjects in the Both group had significantly worse health and QoL scores relative to those with nociceptive-only pain, suggesting that using psychosocial pain surveys may be useful for understanding pain subtypes in patients with CP. Additional research is needed to identify biochemical and biophysical signatures that may associate with and predict responses to mechanism-specific interventions.
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    Circulating immune signatures across clinical stages of chronic pancreatitis: a pilot study
    (Wolters Kluwer, 2024) Hagn-Meincke, Rasmus; Hart, Phil A.; Andersen, Dana K.; Vege, Santhi S.; Fogel, Evan L.; Serrano, Jose; Bellin, Melena D.; Topazian, Mark D.; Conwell, Darwin L.; Li, Liang; Van Den Eeden, Stephen K.; Drewes, Asbjørn M.; Pandol, Stephen J.; Forsmark, Chris E.; Fisher, William E.; Yadav, Dhiraj; Olesen, Søren S.; Park, Walter G.; Consortium for the Study of Chronic Pancreatitis, Diabetes, and Pancreatic Cancer (CPDPC); Medicine, School of Medicine
    Objective: This pilot study seeks to identify serum immune signatures across clinical stages of patients with chronic pancreatitis (CP). Methods: We performed a cross-sectional analysis of prospectively collected serum samples from the PROspective Evaluation of Chronic Pancreatitis for EpidEmiologic and Translation StuDies-study. CP subjects were categorised into three clinical stages based on the presence/absence of metabolic complications: (1) CP with no diabetes and exocrine pancreatic dysfunction (EPD), (2) CP with either diabetes or EPD, and (3) CP with diabetes and EPD. Blinded samples were analysed using an 80-plex Luminex assay of cytokines/chemokines/adhesion molecules. Group and pairwise comparisons were performed to characterise immune signatures across CP subgroups. Results: A total of 135 CP subjects (evenly distributed between clinical stages) and 50 controls were studied. Interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-8 (IL-8), and soluble intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (sICAM-1) were significantly elevated in CP subjects compared to controls. The levels of IL-6 and IL-8 increased with advancing disease stages, with the highest levels observed in CP with diabetes and EPD (clinical stage 3). Furthermore, hepatocyte growth factor and macrophage-derived chemokine were significantly increased in clinical stage 3 compared to controls. Conclusion: Our study reveals a progressive elevation in pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines with advancing clinical stages of CP. These findings indicate potential targets for the development of disease-modifying interventions.
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    Circulating Immune Signatures in Chronic Pancreatitis with and without Preceding Acute Pancreatitis: A Pilot Study
    (Elsevier, 2024) Hagn-Meincke, Rasmus; Yadav, Dhiraj; Andersen, Dana K.; Vege, Santhi Swaroop; Fogel, Evan L.; Serrano, Jose; Bellin, Melena D.; Topazian, Mark D.; Conwell, Darwin L.; Li, Liang; Van Den Eeden, Stephen K.; Drewes, Asbjørn M.; Pandol, Stephen J.; Forsmark, Chris E.; Fisher, William E.; Hart, Phil A.; Olesen, Søren S.; Park, Walter G.; Consortium for the Study of Chronic Pancreatitis, Diabetes, and Pancreatic Cancer (CPDPC); Medicine, School of Medicine
    Objective: To investigate profiles of circulating immune signatures in healthy controls and chronic pancreatitis patients (CP) with and without a preceding history of acute pancreatitis (AP). Methods: We performed a phase 1, cross-sectional analysis of prospectively collected serum samples from the PROspective Evaluation of Chronic Pancreatitis for EpidEmiologic and Translation StuDies (PROCEED) study. All samples were collected during a clinically quiescent phase. CP subjects were categorized into two subgroups based on preceding episode(s) of AP. Healthy controls were included for comparison. Blinded samples were analyzed using an 80-plex Luminex assay of cytokines, chemokines, and adhesion molecules. Group and pairwise comparisons of analytes were performed between the subgroups. Results: In total, 133 patients with CP (111 with AP and 22 without AP) and 50 healthy controls were included. Among the 80 analytes studied, CP patients with a history of AP had significantly higher serum levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines (interleukin (IL)-6, IL-8, IL-1 receptor antagonist, IL-15) and chemokines (Cutaneous T-Cell Attracting Chemokine (CTACK), Monokine induced Gamma Interferon (MIG), Macrophage-derived Chemokine (MDC), Monocyte Chemoattractant Protein-1 (MCP-1)) compared to CP without preceding AP and controls. In contrast, CP patients without AP had immune profiles characterized by low systemic inflammation and downregulation of anti-inflammatory mediators, including IL-10. Conclusion: CP patients with a preceding history of AP have signs of systemic inflammatory activity even during a clinically quiescent phase. In contrast, CP patients without a history of AP have low systemic inflammatory activity. These findings suggest the presence of two immunologically diverse subtypes of CP.
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    Design and Rationale for the Use of Magnetic Resonance Imaging Biomarkers to Predict Diabetes After Acute Pancreatitis in the Diabetes RElated to Acute Pancreatitis and Its Mechanisms Study: From the Type 1 Diabetes in Acute Pancreatitis Consortium
    (Wolters Kluwer, 2022) Tirkes, Temel; Chinchilli, Vernon M.; Bagci, Ulas; Parker, Jason G.; Zhao, Xuandong; Dasyam, Anil K.; Feranec, Nicholas; Grajo, Joseph R.; Shah, Zarine K.; Poullos, Peter D.; Spilseth, Benjamin; Zaheer, Atif; Xie, Karen L.; Wachsman, Ashley M.; Campbell-Thompson, Martha; Conwell, Darwin L.; Fogel, Evan L.; Forsmark, Christopher E.; Hart, Phil A.; Pandol, Stephen J.; Park, Walter G.; Pratley, Richard E.; Yazici, Cemal; Laughlin, Maren R.; Andersen, Dana K.; Serrano, Jose; Bellin, Melena D.; Yadav, Dhiraj; Type 1 Diabetes in Acute Pancreatitis Consortium (T1DAPC); Radiology and Imaging Sciences, School of Medicine
    This core component of the Diabetes RElated to Acute pancreatitis and its Mechanisms (DREAM) study will examine the hypothesis that advanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques can reflect underlying pathophysiologic changes and provide imaging biomarkers that predict diabetes mellitus (DM) following acute pancreatitis (AP). A subset of participants in the DREAM study will enroll and undergo serial MRI examinations using a specific research protocol. We aim to differentiate at-risk individuals from those who remain euglycemic by identifying parenchymal features following AP. Performing longitudinal MRI will enable us to observe and understand the natural history of post-AP DM. We will compare MRI parameters obtained by interrogating tissue properties in euglycemic, prediabetic and incident diabetes subjects and correlate them with metabolic, genetic, and immunological phenotypes. Differentiating imaging parameters will be combined to develop a quantitative composite risk score. This composite risk score will potentially have the ability to monitor the risk of DM in clinical practice or trials. We will use artificial intelligence, specifically deep learning, algorithms to optimize the predictive ability of MRI. In addition to the research MRI, the DREAM study will also correlate clinical computerized tomography and MRI scans with DM development.
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    Diagnosis of chronic pancreatitis using semi-quantitative MRI features of the pancreatic parenchyma: results from the multi-institutional MINIMAP study Temel Tirkes1,18, Dhiraj Yadav2
    (Springer, 2023) Tirkes, Temel; Yadav, Dhiraj; Conwell, Darwin L.; Territo, Paul R.; Zhao, Xuandong; Persohn, Scott A.; Dasyam, Anil K.; Shah, Zarine K.; Venkatesh, Sudhakar K.; Takahashi, Naoki; Wachsman, Ashley; Li, Liang; Li, Yan; Pandol, Stephen J.; Park, Walter G.; Swaroop Vege, Santhi; Hart, Phil A.; Topazian, Mark; Andersen, Dana K.; Fogel, Evan L.; Consortium for the Study of Chronic Pancreatitis, Diabetes, Pancreatic Cancer (CPDPC); Radiology and Imaging Sciences, School of Medicine
    Purpose: To determine the diagnostic performance of parenchymal MRI features differentiating CP from controls. Methods: This prospective study performed abdominal MRI scans at seven institutions, using 1.5 T Siemens and GE scanners, in 50 control and 51 definite CP participants, from February 2019 to May 2021. MRI parameters included the T1-weighted signal intensity ratio of the pancreas (T1 score), arterial-to-venous enhancement ratio (AVR) during venous and delayed phases, pancreas volume, and diameter. We evaluated the diagnostic performance of these parameters individually and two semi-quantitative MRI scores derived using logistic regression: SQ-MRI Model A (T1 score, AVR venous, and tail diameter) and Model B (T1 score, AVR venous, and volume). Results: When compared to controls, CP participants showed a significantly lower mean T1 score (1.11 vs. 1.29), AVR venous (0.86 vs. 1.45), AVR delayed (1.07 vs. 1.57), volume (54.97 vs. 80.00 ml), and diameter of the head (2.05 vs. 2.39 cm), body (2.25 vs. 2.58 cm), and tail (1.98 vs. 2.51 cm) (p < 0.05 for all). AUCs for these individual MR parameters ranged from 0.66 to 0.79, while AUCs for the SQ-MRI scores were 0.82 and 0.81 for Model A (T1 score, AVR venous, and tail diameter) and Model B (T1 score, AVR venous, and volume), respectively. After propensity-matching adjustments for covariates, AUCs for Models A and B of the SQ-MRI scores increased to 0.92 and 0.93, respectively. Conclusion: Semi-quantitative parameters of the pancreatic parenchyma, including T1 score, enhancement ratio, pancreas volume, diameter and multi-parametric models combining these parameters are helpful in diagnosis of CP. Longitudinal analyses including more extensive population are warranted to develop new diagnostic criteria for CP.
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    Differences in Age at Onset of Symptoms, and Effects of Genetic Variants, in Patients With Early- vs Late-Onset Idiopathic Chronic Pancreatitis in a North American Cohort
    (Elsevier, 2020) Lewis, Michele D.; Talluri, Jyothsna; Wilcox, C. Mel; Abberbock, Judah N.; Tang, Gong; Conwell, Darwin L.; Banks, Peter A.; Cote, Gregory A.; Sherman, Stuart; Alkaade, Samer; Gardner, Timothy B.; Anderson, Michelle A.; Sandhu, Bimaljit S.; Muniraj, Thiruvengadam; Forsmark, Chris E.; Guda, Nalini; Gelrud, Andres; Romagnuolo, Joseph; Brand, Randall; LaRusch, Jessica; Amann, Stephen T.; Slivka, Adam; Whitcomb, David C.; Yadav, Dhiraj; Medicine, School of Medicine
    Background & Aims Idiopathic chronic pancreatitis (ICP) is the second most common subtype of CP. In 1994, researchers reported the bimodal age at onset of ICP symptoms: early-onset ICP (EO-ICP; median age, 19.2 years) and late-onset ICP (LO-ICP; median age, 56.2 years). Ages of onset and clinical features of ICP differed from those of alcohol-related CP (ACP). However, variants in PRSS1 had not yet been associated with ICP. We reexamined ages of onset of ICP in a large, North American cohort of patients, and investigated the effects of genetic factors and alcohol use in patients with EO-ICP, LO-ICP, or ACP. Methods We performed a cross-sectional analysis of patients with CP of European ancestry enrolled in the North American Pancreatitis Study 2 studies, a prospective study of 1195 patients with CP from 26 centers in the United States from August 2000 through December 2014. We compared age at onset of symptoms for 130 patients with CP who were lifetime abstainers from alcohol (61 patients with early onset and 69 patients with late onset), 308 light to moderate alcohol drinkers with CP, and 225 patients with ACP and heavy to very heavy alcohol use. DNA from available patients was analyzed for variants associated with CP in SPINK1, CFTR, and CTRC. The Kruskal-Wallis test was used to compare continuous variables across groups and based on genetic variants. Results Median ages at onset of symptoms were 20 years for patients with EO-ICP and no alcohol use, 58 years for patients with LO-ICP and no alcohol use, 47 years for light to moderate alcohol drinkers with CP, and 44 years for patients with ACP. A higher proportion of patients with EO-ICP had constant pain (65%) than patients with LO-ICP (31%) (P=.04). A higher proportion of patients with ACP had pseudocysts (43%) than patients with EO-ICP (11%) (P=.001). A higher proportion of patients with EO-ICP had pathogenic variants in SPINK1, CFTR, or CTRC (49%) than patients with LO-ICP (23%), light to moderate alcohol drinking with CP (26%), or ACP (23%) (P=.001). Among patients with variants in SPINK1, those with EO-ICP had onset of symptoms at a median age of 12 years, and light to moderate alcohol drinkers with CP had an age at onset of 24 years. Among patients with variants in CFTR, light to moderate alcohol drinkers had an age at onset of symptoms of 41 years, but this variant did not affect age at onset of EO-ICP or ACP. Conclusions We confirmed previously reported ages at onset of symptoms for EO-ICP and LO-ICP in a North American cohort. We found differences in clinical features among patients with EO-ICP, LO-ICP, and ACP. Almost half of patients with EO-ICP have genetic variants associated with CP, compared to about one-quarter of patients with LO-CP or ACP. Genetic variants affect ages at onset of symptoms in some groups.
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    Digestive Manifestations in Patients Hospitalized With Coronavirus Disease 2019
    (Elsevier, 2020-10-01) Elmunzer, B. Joseph; Spitzer, Rebecca L.; Foster, Lydia D.; Merchant, Ambreen A.; Howard, Eric F.; Patel, Vaishali A.; West, Mary K.; Qayed, Emad; Nustas, Rosemary; Zakaria, Ali; Piper, Marc S.; Taylor, Jason R.; Jaza, Lujain; Forbes, Nauzer; Chau, Millie; Lara, Luis F.; Papachristou, Georgios I.; Volk, Michael L.; Hilson, Liam G.; Zhou, Selena; Kushnir, Vladimir M.; Lenyo, Alexandria M.; McLeod, Caroline G.; Amin, Sunil; Kuftinec, Gabriela N.; Yadav, Dhiraj; Fox, Charlie; Kolb, Jennifer M.; Pawa, Swati; Pawa, Rishi; Canakis, Andrew; Huang, Christopher; Jamil, Laith H.; Aneese, Andrew M.; Glamour, Benita K.; Smith, Zachary L.; Hanley, Katherine A.; Wood, Jordan; Patel, Harsh K.; Shah, Janak N.; Agarunov, Emil; Sethi, Amrita; Fogel, Evan L.; McNulty, Gail; Haseeb, Abdul; Trieu, Judy A.; Dixon, Rebekah E.; Yang, Jeong Yun; Mendelsohn, Robin B.; Calo, Delia; Aroniadis, Olga C.; LaComb, Joseph F.; Scheiman, James M.; Sauer, Bryan G.; Dang, Duyen T.; Piraka, Cyrus R.; Shah, Eric D.; Pohl, Heiko; Tierney, William M.; Mitchell, Stephanie; Condon, Ashwinee; Lenhart, Adrienne; Dua, Kulwinder S.; Kanagala, Vikram S.; Kamal, Ayesha; Singh, Vikesh K.; Pinto-Sanchez, Maria Ines; Hutchinson, Joy M.; Kwon, Richard S.; Korsnes, Sheryl J.; Singh, Harminder; Solati, Zahra; Willingham, Field F.; Yachimski, Patrick S.; Conwell, Darwin L.; Mosier, Evan; Azab, Mohamed; Patel, Anish; Buxbaum, James; Wani, Sachin; Chak, Amitabh; Hosmer, Amy E.; Keswani, Rajesh N.; DiMaio, Christopher J.; Bronze, Michael S.; Muthusamy, Raman; Canto, Marcia I.; Gjeorgjievski, V. Mihajlo; Imam, Zaid; Odish, Fadi; Edhi, Ahmed I.; Orosey, Molly; Tiwari, Abhinav; Patwardhan, Soumil; Brown, Nicholas G.; Patel, Anish A.; Ordiah, Collins O.; Sloan, Ian P.; Cruz, Lilian; Koza, Casey L.; Okafor, Uchechi; Hollander, Thomas; Furey, Nancy; Reykhart, Olga; Zbib, Natalia H.; Damianos, John A.; Esteban, James; Hajidiacos, Nick; Saul, Melissa; Mays, Melanie; Anderson, Gulsum; Wood, Kelley; Mathews, Laura; Diakova, Galina; Caisse, Molly; Wakefield, Lauren; Nitchie, Haley; Waljee, Akbar K.; Tang, Weijing; Zhang, Yueyang; Zhu, Ji; Deshpande, Amar R.; Rockey, Don C.; Alford, Teldon B.; Durkalski, Valerie; Medicine, School of Medicine
    Background & Aims The prevalence and significance of digestive manifestations in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) remain uncertain. We aimed to assess the prevalence, spectrum, severity, and significance of digestive manifestations in patients hospitalized with COVID-19. Methods Consecutive patients hospitalized with COVID-19 were identified across a geographically diverse alliance of medical centers in North America. Data pertaining to baseline characteristics, symptomatology, laboratory assessment, imaging, and endoscopic findings from the time of symptom onset until discharge or death were abstracted manually from electronic health records to characterize the prevalence, spectrum, and severity of digestive manifestations. Regression analyses were performed to evaluate the association between digestive manifestations and severe outcomes related to COVID-19. Results A total of 1992 patients across 36 centers met eligibility criteria and were included. Overall, 53% of patients experienced at least 1 gastrointestinal symptom at any time during their illness, most commonly diarrhea (34%), nausea (27%), vomiting (16%), and abdominal pain (11%). In 74% of cases, gastrointestinal symptoms were judged to be mild. In total, 35% of patients developed an abnormal alanine aminotransferase or total bilirubin level; these were increased to less than 5 times the upper limit of normal in 77% of cases. After adjusting for potential confounders, the presence of gastrointestinal symptoms at any time (odds ratio, 0.93; 95% CI, 0.76–1.15) or liver test abnormalities on admission (odds ratio, 1.31; 95% CI, 0.80–2.12) were not associated independently with mechanical ventilation or death. Conclusions Among patients hospitalized with COVID-19, gastrointestinal symptoms and liver test abnormalities were common, but the majority were mild and their presence was not associated with a more severe clinical course.
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    Digestive Manifestations in Patients Hospitalized With Coronavirus Disease 2019
    (Elsevier, 2021-07) Elmunzer, B. Joseph; Spitzer, Rebecca L.; Foster, Lydia D.; Merchant, Ambreen A.; Howard, Eric F.; Patel, Vaishali A.; West, Mary K.; Qayed, Emad; Nustas, Rosemary; Zakaria, Ali; Piper, Marc S.; Taylor, Jason R.; Jaza, Lujain; Forbes, Nauzer; Chau, Millie; Lara, Luis F.; Papachristou, Georgios I.; Volk, Michael L.; Hilson, Liam G.; Zhou, Selena; Kushnir, Vladimir M.; Lenyo, Alexandria M.; McLeod, Caroline G.; Amin, Sunil; Kuftinec, Gabriela N.; Yadav, Dhiraj; Fox, Charlie; Kolb, Jennifer M.; Pawa, Swati; Pawa, Rishi; Canakis, Andrew; Huang, Christopher; Jamil, Laith H.; Aneese, Andrew M.; Glamour, Benita K.; Smith, Zachary L.; Hanley, Katherine A.; Wood, Jordan; Patel, Harsh K.; Shah, Janak N.; Agarunov, Emil; Sethi, Amrita; Fogel, Evan L.; McNulty, Gail; Haseeb, Abdul; Trieu, Judy A.; Dixon, Rebekah E.; Yang, Jeong Yun; Mendelsohn, Robin B.; Calo, Delia; Aroniadis, Olga C.; LaComb, Joseph F.; Scheiman, James M.; Sauer, Bryan G.; Dang, Duyen T.; Piraka, Cyrus R.; Shah, Eric D.; Pohl, Heiko; Tierney, William M.; Mitchell, Stephanie; Condon, Ashwinee; Lenhart, Adrienne; Dua, Kulwinder S.; Kanagala, Vikram S.; Kamal, Ayesha; Singh, Vikesh K.; Pinto-Sanchez, Maria Ines; Hutchinson, Joy M.; Kwon, Richard S.; Korsnes, Sheryl J.; Singh, Harminder; Solati, Zahra; Willingham, Field F.; Yachimski, Patrick S.; Conwell, Darwin L.; Mosier, Evan; Azab, Mohamed; Patel, Anish; Buxbaum, James; Wani, Sachin; Chak, Amitabh; Hosmer, Amy E.; Keswani, Rajesh N.; DiMaio, Christopher J.; Bronze, Michael S.; Muthusamy, Raman; Canto, Marcia I.; Gjeorgjievski, V. Mihajlo; Imam, Zaid; Odish, Fadi; Edhi, Ahmed I.; Orosey, Molly; Tiwari, Abhinav; Patwardhan, Soumil; Brown, Nicholas G.; Patel, Anish A.; Ordiah, Collins O.; Sloan, Ian P.; Cruz, Lilian; Koza, Casey L.; Okafor, Uchechi; Hollander, Thomas; Furey, Nancy; Reykhart, Olga; Zbib, Natalia H.; Damianos, John A.; Esteban, James; Hajidiacos, Nick; Saul, Melissa; Mays, Melanie; Anderson, Gulsum; Wood, Kelley; Mathews, Laura; Diakova, Galina; Caisse, Molly; Wakefield, Lauren; Nitchie, Haley; Waljee, Akbar K.; Tang, Weijing; Zhang, Yueyang; Zhu, Ji; Deshpande, Amar R.; Rockey, Don C.; Alford, Teldon B.; Durkalski, Valerie; North American Alliance for the Study of Digestive Manifestations of COVID-19; Medicine, School of Medicine
    BACKGROUND & AIMS: The prevalence and significance of digestive manifestations in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) remain uncertain. We aimed to assess the prevalence, spectrum, severity, and significance of digestive manifestations in patients hospitalized with COVID-19. METHODS: Consecutive patients hospitalized with COVID-19 were identified across a geographically diverse alliance of medical centers in North America. Data pertaining to baseline characteristics, symptomatology, laboratory assessment, imaging, and endoscopic findings from the time of symptom onset until discharge or death were abstracted manually from electronic health records to characterize the prevalence, spectrum, and severity of digestive manifestations. Regression analyses were performed to evaluate the association between digestive manifestations and severe outcomes related to COVID-19. RESULTS: A total of 1992 patients across 36 centers met eligibility criteria and were included. Overall, 53% of patients experienced at least 1 gastrointestinal symptom at any time during their illness, most commonly diarrhea (34%), nausea (27%), vomiting (16%), and abdominal pain (11%). In 74% of cases, gastrointestinal symptoms were judged to be mild. In total, 35% of patients developed an abnormal alanine aminotransferase or total bilirubin level; these were increased to less than 5 times the upper limit of normal in 77% of cases. After adjusting for potential confounders, the presence of gastrointestinal symptoms at any time (odds ratio, 0.93; 95% CI, 0.76-1.15) or liver test abnormalities on admission (odds ratio, 1.31; 95% CI, 0.80-2.12) were not associated independently with mechanical ventilation or death. CONCLUSIONS: Among patients hospitalized with COVID-19, gastrointestinal symptoms and liver test abnormalities were common, but the majority were mild and their presence was not associated with a more severe clinical course.