Gut Health and COVID-19
March 29, 2021
Poor gut health could put you at risk of more severe outcomes if you get COVID-19.
A review recently published in the online journal mBio found those who had more severe COVID-19 cases tended to also have gastro-intestinal symptoms.
The review theorizes an altered gut micro-biome could allow COVID-19 to spread to more organ faster. It could be an underlying factor in known risk factors like chronic disease.
According to Dr. Elinor Zhou, a gastroenterologist at The Melissa L. Posner Institute for Digestive Health and Liver Disease at Mercy, there are gastrointestinal symptoms involved in COVID-19.
"The microbiome is the natural micro-organisms in your gut. If that is altered, people have found that you are more predisposed to COVID-19 because the microbiome acts as part of your immune system," Dr. Zhou said.
If you alter the gut, it is then easier for the virus to find its way into the immune system.
To view Mercy gastroenterologist Dr. Elinor Zhou’s interview regarding COVID-19 and gut health, click here.
About Mercy
Founded in 1874 in Downtown Baltimore by the Sisters of Mercy, Mercy Medical Center is a 183-licensed bed, acute care, university-affiliated teaching hospital. Mercy has been recognized as a high-performing Maryland hospital (U.S. News & World Report); has achieved an overall 5-Star quality, safety, and patient experience rating (Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services); is A-rated for Hospital Safety (Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade); and is certified by the American Nurses Credentialing Center as a Magnet™ hospital. Mercy Health Services is a not-for-profit health system and the parent company of Mercy Medical Center and Mercy Personal Physicians.
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