Changes in liver function in patients with covid-19 and the demographics of the disease in a mid-sized city of Turkey: A retrospective analysis

Abstract

Objective: To define the clinical characteristics of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 in ICU and ward and to evaluate the significance of liver function test results. A new disease caused by SARS-CoV-2 has been devastating the world affecting millions of patients worldwide and leading the significant mortality and morbidity.
 Material and Methods: The demographic features of a cohort of 125 hospitalized patients between March 2020 and May 2020 were recorded. The clinical characteristics, laboratory findings, and mortality rates were analyzed.
 Results: A total of 125 patients hospitalized for COVID-19 diagnosis where 113 (90.4%) were followed-up in the ward and 12 (9.6%) were in ICU were included in the study. The mean age of the patients was 44.05±16.95 and 88 (70.4%) of the patients were male. The most common symptoms were in the following order: cough in 80 patients (64%), dyspnea in 40 (32%) and fever in 33 (26.4%). The leukocyte and neutrophil counts were significantly higher in ICU patients with COVID-19 compared to patients in the ward (p=0.002, p<0.05; respectively). The CRP and D-Dimer levels were found elevated in ICU patients with COVID-19 than in the ward (p<0.05; p<0.05, respectively). The AST level of patients with COVID-19 in ICU was significantly heightened than patients in the ward.
 Conclusion: The present study revealed that patients with elevated AST level were at great risk of progressing to severe disease those require close monitoring.