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J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr
. 2022 Jun 10.
doi: 10.1097/MPG.0000000000003521. Online ahead of print.
Long COVID-19 Liver Manifestation in Children
Shiri Cooper 1 2 , Ana Tobar 3 2 , Osnat Konen 4 2 , Naama Orenshtein 5 2 , Nesia Kropach 5 2 , Yuval Landau 6 2 , Yael Mozer-Glassberg 1 2 , Michal Rosenfeld Bar-Lev 1 2 , Ron Shaoul 3 , Raanan Shamir 1 2 , Orith Waisbourd-Zinman 1 2
Affiliations
- PMID: 35687535
- DOI: 10.1097/MPG.0000000000003521
Abstract
Objectives: SARS CoV-2, the novel coronavirus responsible for coronavirus disease (COVID-19), has been a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Gastrointestinal and hepatic manifestations during acute disease have been reported extensively in the literature. Post-COVID-19 cholangiopathy has been increasingly reported in adults. In children, data are sparse. Our aim was to describe pediatric patients who recovered from COVID-19 and later presented with liver injury.
Methods: This is a retrospective case-series study of pediatric patients with post-COVID-19 liver manifestations. We collected data on demographics, medical history, clinical presentation, laboratory results, imaging, histology, treatment, and outcome.
Results: We report five pediatric patients who recovered from COVID-19 and later presented with liver injury. Two types of clinical presentation were distinguishable. Two infants aged 3 and 5 months, previously healthy, presented with acute liver failure that rapidly progressed to liver transplantation. Their liver explant showed massive necrosis with cholangiolar proliferation and lymphocytic infiltrate. Three children, two aged 8 years and one aged 13 years, presented with hepatitis with cholestasis. Two children had a liver biopsy significant for lymphocytic portal and parenchyma inflammation, along with bile duct proliferations. All three were started on steroid treatment; liver enzymes improved, and they were weaned successfully from treatment. For all five patients, extensive etiology workup for infectious and metabolic etiologies were negative.
Conclusions: We report two distinct patterns of potentially long COVID-19 liver manifestations in children with common clinical, radiological, and histopathological characteristics after a thorough workup excluded other known etiologies.