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RESEARCH PRODUCT
Patterns of liver injury in COVID-19 - a German case series.
Jörn M. SchattenbergChristian LabenzMarcus A. WörnsPeter R. GalleMartin F. SprinzlArndt WeinmannPhilipp Mengesubject
MalePathologyGerman0302 clinical medicineCOVID-19 TestingLiver Function TestsGermanyMedicineElectronic Health RecordsYoung adultLiver injuryAged 80 and overmedicine.diagnostic_testbiologyGastroenterologyAlanine TransaminaseMiddle AgedOncologyLiver030220 oncology & carcinogenesislanguage030211 gastroenterology & hepatologyFemaleChemical and Drug Induced Liver InjuryCoronavirus InfectionsAdultmedicine.medical_specialtyCoronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)Pneumonia ViralAntiviral Agents03 medical and health sciencesBetacoronavirusYoung AdultInternal medicineHumansAspartate AminotransferasesPandemicsAgedRetrospective Studiesbusiness.industryClinical Laboratory TechniquesSARS-CoV-2COVID-19Retrospective cohort studyOriginal ArticlesHepatologyLiver Failure Acutemedicine.diseaselanguage.human_languageCOVID-19 Drug TreatmentAlanine transaminasebiology.proteinbusinessLiver function testsBiomarkersdescription
BACKGROUND: Reports of liver injury in patients with novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) are emerging from China and the USA. A wide variety of liver function test abnormalities and few cases of severe liver failure have been reported. No data on the hepatic phenotype from Europe are available at current. METHODS: We report a case series of 44 consecutive patients hospitalized for COVID-19 in Germany. RESULTS: At the time of admission, aspartate aminotransferase greater than the upper limit of normal was present in 70%, while alanine aminotransferase was elevated in 15.8%. Markers of cholestatic liver injury were altered only in a minority of patients. During hospitalization, 31% and 22% experienced increasing aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase, respectively, when transaminases were normal at admission. Severe liver injury defined by 3×> upper limit of normal was observed in 9.1% over a mean time of 10.5 days. Importantly, patients exhibited cytotoxicity including lactate dehydrogenase and creatinine kinase elevations, but no signs of relevant liver function impairment. CONCLUSION: In summary, in a case series of hospitalized patients in Germany, cytotoxicity in the absence of severe liver dysfunction at admission and only few cases suggestive of severe liver injury during hospital were observed.
| year | journal | country | edition | language |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-06-27 | United European gastroenterology journal |