Nausea and Burping with COVID-19: Are They Connected? – Healthline

COVID-19 is a respiratory infection caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. Since its discovery in late 2019, it has infected hundreds of millions of people.
Most people with COVID-19 develop a mild illness, but it can be life threatening with certain risk factors.
The most common symptoms of COVID-19 include cough, fever, and shortness of breath. Nausea is also a frequently reported COVID-19 symptom. Burping has been reported in some earlier studies, but it doesn’t appear to be common.
Other most reported symptoms of COVID-19 include:
Keep reading to learn more about what we know about the connection between burping, nausea, and COVID-19.
Nausea is one of the most frequently reported symptoms of COVID-19 in people with mild or severe illness. A February 2022 review of studies suggests that people with gastrointestinal symptoms develop severe illness more frequently than people without gastrointestinal symptoms.
In this review, researchers estimated that 41.4% of people with nausea in a group of 5,285 people developed severe COVID-19 symptoms. People with gastrointestinal symptoms had a 2.8 times higher risk of developing severe COVID-19 overall.
In a March 2022 research review, researchers found that nausea and other gastrointestinal symptoms aren’t associated with an increased death rate.
In a January 2022 study, researchers found no statistical evidence of nausea being a long-haul COVID-19 symptom despite it previously being reported as one.
Burping isn’t a typical symptom of COVID-19, but it has been reported in case studies.
In a 2020 case study, a woman in China developed upper abdominal discomfort and burping as her initial COVID-19 symptoms. An endoscope revealed she had gastritis, which is inflammation of the stomach lining.
The coronavirus is thought to enter your tissues through angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2). Receptors for this enzyme are highly expressed in the cells in your gastrointestinal tract, including the lining of your stomach.
In another 2020 study, gastritis was found in 4 out of 24 people with COVID-19 who received a type of imaging test of the stomach and small intestines called an esophagogastroduodenoscopy.
Researchers in a 2020 review of 15 studies found that burping or acid reflux was a symptom in 0.3% of people in a group of 2,800 people with COVID-19. Some studies have reported burping in as many as 5% of people with COVID-19.
Researchers in a 2021 study found that burping was reported as a long-haul symptom in 10% of a group of 117 people 90 days after they were discharged from the hospital with COVID-19.
The frequency that COVID-19 symptoms are reported in studies varies depending on many factors, such as:
Here’s a look at some of the most reported gastrointestinal symptoms.
Diarrhea is one of the most common gastrointestinal symptoms of COVID-19. It’s characterized by watery stools and can be the only symptom of COVID-19 in some cases.
Studies have reported the frequency of diarrhea with COVID-19 anywhere from 2% to 49.5%.
Researchers in a 2020 review from Beijing found that about 39.9% to 50.2% of people with COVID-19 developed loss of appetite.
In a 2022 study from France, 403 people hospitalized with COVID-19 reported a 70% decrease in food intake during the acute phase of illness and lost about 8.5% of their body weight.
Vomiting is another common symptom of COVID-19. Many studies have reported vomiting being a symptom in anywhere from 5% to 15.4% of people.
An analysis from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as well as other studies, suggests children may develop vomiting more frequently despite generally having milder disease than adults.
Some people with COVID-19 develop abdominal pain in the absence of respiratory symptoms.
In the Beijing review mentioned above, researchers found the rate of abdominal pain was 2.2%. Abdominal pain was reported in 8.3% of people with severe symptoms versus in zero people with mild symptoms.
The most common cause of burping is ingesting excessive air. Causes of burping can include:
Medication side effects or health conditions like gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) may also lead to burping.
Nausea has many potential causes, such as:
Mild COVID-19 can be treated at home without medical treatment by monitoring your symptoms, getting plenty of rest, and staying hydrated.
It’s critical to stay at home and avoid other people as much as possible if you have COVID-19 to prevent transmitting it.
Get immediate medical care if you develop emergency COVID-19 symptoms or anything else concerning. These symptoms include:
Nausea is a common symptom of COVID-19 in people with mild or severe illnesses.
Burping isn’t a typical symptom, but irritation to your gastrointestinal tract could potentially make you burp more often than usual.
You can typically treat COVID-19 at home without medical treatment. However, it’s critical to get emergency medical attention if you have trouble breathing or develop other severe symptoms.
Last medically reviewed on August 23, 2022
Our experts continually monitor the health and wellness space, and we update our articles when new information becomes available.
Current Version
Aug 23, 2022
Written By
Daniel Yetman
Edited By
Roman Gokhman
Medically Reviewed By
Avi Varma, MD, MPH, AAHIVS, FAAFP
Copy Edited By
Sara Giusti
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