In the last year, a growing number of articles addressed coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), including its link with gastrointestinal (GI) (dys)function. We here highlight the most important findings regarding the role of the gut in this disease, with a focus on critically ill patients.

The overwhelming urgency of the COVID-19 pandemic has led to many publications and various hypotheses based on limited evidence with an overall quality that is below the pre-pandemic level.

Data on the role of GI tract in COVID-19 are no exception, calling for the need for well conducted studies addressing this important topic.

Future mechanistic studies should further elucidate pathophysiological mechanisms, and clinical studies should assess the impact of COVID-19-specific treatments on GI complications in relation to outcome, as well as the ideal feeding strategy.

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