Acute Abdominal Pain as a Presentation of Covid-19 Infection in a Child: A Case Report

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) may present as acute abdomen although the pathophysiology remains obscure. This is a report of an 11-year-old boy, presented to the emergency department at our hospital with myalgia and gastrointestinal symptoms including non- bloody diarrhea and abdominal pain associated with nausea and intractable vomiting during the course of the disease. He also had a fever and dry cough. On initial evaluation, his vital signs were unremarkable. Oxygen saturation was 92% in the room air. His temperature was 38˚C and his respiratory rate was 17/min. An initial physical examination showed abdominal tenderness in the right lower quadrant. Laboratory analysis revealed leukocytosis and a high ESR and CRP. Therefore, he underwent appendectomy and was discharged after a few days in good condition by observing health protocols.