PHYSIOLOGICAL ALTERATIONS IN THE LIVER FUNCTION OF COVID19 INFECTED PATIENTS REVIEW ARTICLE

Abstract

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a viral respiratory illness which was first detected in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China. A few case studies demonstrated that 14–53% of the cases of COVID-19 reported abnormal levels of liver enzymes during disease progression. Patients with severe COVID-19 seem to have higher rates of hepatic dysfunction. Hepatic injury is common in severe COVID-19 patients, which may be caused by direct injury to the bile duct cells by a virus or indirectly by a cytokine storm. The liver function should be evaluated in all symptomatic COVID-19 patients. In patients with pre-existing liver diseases, special attention should be paid to monitoring and treatment. Immunocompromised persons with severe liver illness, hepatocellular carcinoma, as well as liver transplant patients should have more intense surveillance and personalized therapy methods. Despite the fact that there has been little investigation on patients infected by covid19 with pre-existing liver illness, the present extensive study casts light on liver disease care during Covid-19.