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. 2020 Jul 28;12(14):13895-13904.
doi: 10.18632/aging.103720. Epub 2020 Jul 28.

COVID-19 induced liver function abnormality associates with age

Shasha Li  1 , Jinsong Li  1 , Zhenhua Zhang  2 , Lin Tan  1 , Tuo Shao  3 , Ming Li  1 , Xiuyong Li  4 , Jacinta A Holmes  5 , Wenyu Lin  3 , Mingfeng Han  6
Affiliations

COVID-19 induced liver function abnormality associates with age

Shasha Li et al. Aging (Albany NY). .

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.

Keywords: COVID-19; age; critical patient; liver abnormality; severe.

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Conflict of interest statement

CONFLICTS OF INTEREST: The authors have declared that no conflicts of interest exist.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Comparison of liver function test between MM and SC patient groups with liver function test abnormality. The liver function tests including (A) ALT, (B) AST, (C) GGT, (D) ALP, (E) TBIL, and (F) INR, were compared between MM and SC patient groups with liver function test abnormality at Week 0, 1, 2 and 6 post hospitalization for COVID-19. Values are expressed as median (interquartile range (IQR), 25-75%). The horizontal line in each panel is the upper limit of normal (ULN) for each parameter. There was no statistically significant difference in any of the LFT or INR parameters between SC and MM patients.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Degree of liver function test abnormality in SC and MM groups in the subset with liver function test abnormality. (A) Comparison of liver function abnormality between SC and MM groups with liver abnormality. (B) Comparison of liver function subset between SC and MM groups with liver abnormality. There was no statistically significant difference in the degree of LFT abnormality between SC and MM patients.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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