Case report of familial COVID-19 cluster associated with High prevalence of anosmia, ageusia, and gastrointestinal symptoms

• Published in: IDCases Vol. 22; p. e00975
• Main Authors: Ho, Bethany E., Ho, Andrea P., Ho, Michaela A., Ho, Elizabeth C.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier Ltd 01.01.2020; Elsevier
• Subjects: Ageusia; Anosmia; Case Report; COVID-19; Family cluster; SARS-CoV-2; COVID-19; GI; SARS-CoV-2; Case report; RT-PCR; Anosmia; Ageusia; Family cluster; GI, gastrointestinal; RT-PCR, reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction; COVID-19, coronavirus disease of 2019; SARS-CoV-2, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2
• ISSN: 2214-2509; 2214-2509
• DOI: 10.1016/j.idcr.2020.e00975

•COVID-19 may present with sensory symptoms like anosmia and ageusia.•Similarly to other coronaviruses, SARS-CoV-2 may cause GI disturbances.•GI symptoms may be attributable to SARS-CoV-2 replication in GI epithelia.•COVID-19 can present with wide variation in symptoms and duration observed. Patients with COVID-19 most commonly report respiratory symptoms, with a minority reporting gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms in currently available reports. Additionally, little is known about the symptoms of anosmia/hyposmia, ageusia, and dysgeusia anecdotally seen in COVID-19 patients, which may potentially be considered both GI and sensory/neurological manifestations of infection. We hope to clarify the prevalence of these symptoms and patterns of transmission within a family cluster. We interviewed 7 patients via oral inquiries and a questionnaire, collecting data on subject symptoms and their durations. Reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was used to confirm 2 of these cases. We report a familial cluster of 5 presumed and 2 confirmed COVID-19 cases, all of whom reported one or more GI symptoms and 5 of whom reported sensory symptoms of anosmia/hyposmia, ageusia/hypogeusia, and/or dysgeusia. This frequency of GI symptoms is high relative to currently available epidemiological reports, which also infrequently report on sensory symptoms. COVID-19 exhibits wide variation in duration, severity, and progression of symptoms, even within a familial cluster.