Hepatotropic Properties of SARS-CoV-2—Preliminary Results of Cross-Sectional Observational Study from the First Wave COVID-19 Pandemic

Autor: Łukasz Laurans, Karolina Skonieczna-Żydecka, Katarzyna Maciejewska, Jolanta Niścigorska-Olsen, Ewa Karpińska, Monika Hornung, Malwina Karasińska-Cieślak, Miłosz Parczewski, Bogusz Aksak-Wąs, Agnieszka Leonciuk, Łukasz Socha, Krzysztof Jurczyk, Hanna Wiśniewska, Dorota Bander, Magdalena Witak-Jędra, Marta Wawrzynowicz-Syczewska
Rok vydání: 2021
Předmět:
Zdroj: Journal of Clinical Medicine
Volume 10
Issue 4
Journal of Clinical Medicine, Vol 10, Iss 672, p 672 (2021)
ISSN: 2077-0383
Popis: Liver injury—expressed as elevated liver enzymes—is common in patients with COVID-19. Little is known about the potential mechanisms of liver damage by SARS-CoV-2. A direct cytopathic effect on hepatocytes as well as injury related to hypoxia or hepatotoxicity are being considered. The aim of the study was to compare the clinical characteristic of COVID-19 disease in patients with normal and abnormal liver enzymes activity. A group of 150 patients with COVID-19, hospitalized in our center, was analyzed. Patients with the known liver comorbidities were excluded (n = 15). Clinical features and laboratory parameters were compared between patients with normal and abnormal aminotransferase values. Liver injury expressed as any alanine aminotransferase (ALT) elevation was noted in 45.6% of patients hospitalized due to COVID-19. The frequencies of aspartate aminotransferase (AST) elevation were lower. It was noted that elevated ALT/AST unfavorably affected other parameters related to liver function such as albumin level
gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGTP)
and partly, ALP activity and influenced inflammation-related parameters. The most probable cause of mild hepatitis during COVID-19 was anoxia and immune-mediated damage due to the inflammatory response following SARS-CoV-2 infection. A direct cytopathic effect of SARS-CoV-2 on hepatocytes, albeit less probable, can be considered as well. The use of potentially hepatotoxic drugs may contribute to liver damage.
Databáze: OpenAIRE
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