COVID-19 Research Paper Volume 12, Issue 14 pp 13895—13904
COVID-19 induced liver function abnormality associates with age
- 1 Department of Hepatology, The Second People’s Hospital of Fuyang, Fuyang 236015, Anhui Province, P.R. China
- 2 Department of Hepatology, The Second Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei 236015, Anhui Province, P.R. China
- 3 Liver Center and Gastrointestinal Division, Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA
- 4 Blood Purification Center, The Second People’s Hospital of Fuyang, Fuyang 236015, Anhui Province, P.R. China
- 5 Department of Gastroenterology, St Vincent’s Hospital, University of Melbourne, Fitzroy 3065, VIC, Australia
- 6 Department of Respiratory, The Second People’s Hospital of Fuyang, Fuyang 236015, Anhui Province, P.R. China
Received: May 12, 2020 Accepted: July 6, 2020 Published: July 28, 2020
https://doi.org/10.18632/aging.103720How to Cite
Abstract
Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a novel infectious disease that may cause fever, dry cough, fatigue and shortness of breath. The impact of COVID-19 on liver function is not well described.
Results: We found that the overall frequency of LFT abnormality was 17.6%. Frequency of LFT abnormality was significantly greater in patients with severe/critical (SC) COVID-19 compared to those with mild/moderate (MM) COVID-19 (32.4% vs 11.6%, p=0.011). Among patients with LFT abnormality, the median age was significantly higher in the SC group compared to the MM group (52 vs 39 years, p=0.021).
Conclusion: COVID-19 is frequently associated with mild liver function abnormality, particularly in individuals with severe/critical COVID-19 who were older. Liver function should be monitored carefully during infection, with judicious use of hepatotoxic agents where possible and avoidance of prolonged hypotension to minimize liver injury in older patients.
Methods: The No. 2 People’s Hospital of Fuyang City in China has admitted a total of 159 patients with confirmed COVID-19 since the outbreak from January 2020 to March 2020. We analyzed the incidence of liver function test (LFT) abnormality in these patients with confirmed COVID-19 infection.