Pattern of Liver Injury in COVID-19 Patients

Abstract

Background The new coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) is the cause of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), a severe form of viral pneumonia. The virus spread rapidly from China to the rest of the world in a very short time and with considerable intensity and severity creating a ―global emergency.‖ The global pandemic COVID-19 caused by the new coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 has already caused about 1.4 million deaths. Aim of the Work To evaluate the incidence of concurrent elevation of liver function tests (AST, ALT, BILIRUBIN), examine dynamic changes of it and its relationship with disease throughout the course of COVID-19 patients Patients and Methods This was a retrospective cohort study was carried out in Ain Shams University isolation Hospitals including 105 adult patients of both genders with confirmed COVID19 from 15 March 2020 to 15 June 2020. Results The mean age of mild severity group was 56.77 (±13.09 SD) with range (24-80) and among them there were 19 (30.6%) males. The mean age of severe group was 60.52 (±14.68 SD) with range (25-82) and among them there were 26 (54.7%) males. There was statistically significant difference between the studied groups as regard Sex. There was high statistically significant difference between the studied groups as regard Hospital stay. Hospital stays ranged from 2-20 days. Disease duration ranged from 8-27 days. There was no statistically significant difference between the studied groups as regard co-morbidity. The commonest morbidities among the studied group were hypertension and diabetes mellitus. There was statistically significant difference between the studied groups as regard AST and bilirubin. As regard comparison between the studied groups as regard Lab finding During stay; there was statistically significant difference between the studied groups as regard AST and bilirubin. As regard comparison between the studied groups as regard Lab finding at discharge; there was statistically significant difference between the studied groups as regard bilirubin. Based on our findings, we see that evaluations of the mechanism of hepatic injuries in COVID-19 infection are needed. Conclusion The hepatic consequences of SARS-CoV-2 infection are now recognized as an important component of COVID-19. Elevated liver function is very common in patients with COVID-19 infection.