Why do men with impotence often fart? Clinical research gives the authoritative answer!

Recently, the COVID-19 epidemic has reached a climax again, and the number of infected people has increased sharply. Although they are all infected with the new coronavirus, the symptoms of each infected person are varied, including coughing, sputum, nasal congestion, back pain, joint pain, loss of appetite, increased appetite, temporary loss of taste, and flatulence (which is what ordinary people call "farting")...

Wait, flatulence? Why does flatulence increase after COVID-19 infection? Does flatulence of COVID-19 positive people release the virus? How to improve it? With a series of questions, the editor discusses this phenomenon for readers.

1. Reasons for increased flatulence in people infected with the new coronavirus

As early as February 2020, Shenzhen No. 3 People's Hospital mentioned in a related report that the new coronavirus was detected in the feces of patients diagnosed with COVID-19. The following month, Beijing Ditan Hospital affiliated to Capital Medical University also published a research report confirming that the nucleic acid positive duration of the new coronavirus in the feces of patients with COVID-19 was longer than that in sputum.

From this we continue to ask: Although the new coronavirus is transmitted through droplets and enters the body through the respiratory tract, why can it "roam around" in the body and invade the gastrointestinal tract to cause gastrointestinal infection symptoms such as increased flatulence and diarrhea ?

In January 2022, an article published in BMC Medicine answered this question. The study, titled "Gut microbiome alterations and gut barrier dysfunction are associated with host immune homeostasis in COVID-19 patients," conducted a detailed analysis and comparison of the feces of 63 COVID-19 positive patients and 8 uninfected patients in Shanghai.

The results of the study show that when the new coronavirus enters the gastrointestinal tract, it stimulates an inflammatory response in the gastrointestinal tract, and the intestinal flora changes - the beneficial microbial flora decreases, while the conditional pathogens increase significantly. This series of changes results in an increase in flatulence. At the same time, the inflammatory response slows down gastrointestinal motility, and the fermentation of food accumulated in the intestine produces a large amount of gas, which is also one of the reasons for the increase in flatulence .

2. Is the gas discharged by people infected with the new coronavirus contagious?

Currently, there is no detailed research to show whether the gases exhaled and discharged from the gastrointestinal tract of people infected with the new coronavirus are contagious.

However, in 2014, an experimental study titled "Do farts carry germs? Well, it depends an whether you are wearing pants" was published on the scientific blog of DISCOVER magazine, which discussed whether exhaust can spread pathogens.

The results of the study show that the virus can only be spread through aerosols (one type of aerosol is farts) produced by the infected person when the infected person is not wearing clothes and is only 5 cm away from the infected person.

But in real life, experimental-like patterns of getting along rarely occur, so the possibility of exhaust gas transmission is basically not true.

But the editor still has to suggest: Although exhaust is good, don't forget the follow-up actions to reduce possible aerosol transmission. For example, after using the toilet, cover the toilet lid and then flush it; do a good job of disinfecting the bathroom, and use 75% alcohol or 84 disinfectant to wipe and disinfect key parts such as door handles and toilet seats; ventilate more and keep the air flowing.

3. How to reduce the phenomenon of increased exhaust

1. Improve your diet

Reduce the daily intake of gas-producing foods, such as potatoes, sweet potatoes, etc. At the same time, increase the intake of foods rich in dietary fiber, such as celery, buckwheat, millet, etc., to promote gastrointestinal motility, reduce the time food stays in the intestine, thereby reducing the fermentation time of the flora, and ultimately reducing gas.

2. Medication

As we all know, beneficial intestinal flora is an important part of the intestinal barrier. The lack of beneficial flora makes it easier for the new coronavirus to invade the intestine, and the new coronavirus can also kill beneficial flora. Therefore, you can start from now on and take probiotics as prescribed by your doctor to supplement the necessary flora in the intestine, such as bifidobacteria, lactobacilli, yeast, etc.

In summary, after being infected with the new coronavirus, there will indeed be an increase in flatulence, which is a normal pathological phenomenon and will basically not be transmitted to others through this route. When the body clears the virus and turns negative, this symptom will gradually disappear. If the symptoms are severe, they can be improved through daily diet conditioning, and if necessary, take probiotics as prescribed by the doctor.

References

[1]Sun Zhonghan, Song Zhi Gang, Liu Chenglin, et al. Gut microbiome alterations and gut barrier dysfunction are associated with host immune homeostasis in COVID-19 patients[J]. BMC Medicine, 2022, 20(1):24.

[2]Chen Chen, Guiju Gao, Yanli Xu, et al. SARS-CoV-2–Positive Sputum and Feces After Conversion of Pharyngeal Samples in Patients With COVID-19[J/OL]. Annals of Internal Medicine. June 16, 2020.

[3]Seriously Science.Do farts carry germs? Well, it depends an whether you are wearing pants.[G/OL].DISCOVER.August 27,2014.

Text and layout丨Feng Xiwen

Editing and proofreading丨Fu Yujie

Review丨Xing Chen