tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
Infect Chemother
. 2022 Dec;54(4):744-756.
doi: 10.3947/ic.2022.0122.
Changing Features of Liver Injury in COVID-19 Patients: Impact of Infection with the SARS-CoV-2 Delta (B.1.617.2) Variants
Chang Wan Choi[SUP] #[/SUP][SUP] 1 [/SUP], Ho Kyung Sung[SUP] #[/SUP][SUP] 2 3 [/SUP], Jae Yoon Jeong[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Dae Hyun Lim[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Jongkyoung Choi[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Hyeok Choon Kwon[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Seongwoo Nam[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Yeonjae Kim[SUP] 5 [/SUP], BumSik Chin[SUP] 5 [/SUP]
Affiliations
Abstract
Background: There is growing evidence that abnormal liver function tests (LFTs) are common in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). However, it is not known whether viral involvement in the liver differs according to the strain. We investigated the impact on liver injury in patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Delta (B.1.617.2) variants.
Materials and methods: We conducted a single-center, retrospective cohort study, including 372 patients admitted during the pre-Delta period (PDP: between February 1 and November 30, 2020) and 137 patients admitted during the Delta period (DP: between August 1 and August 31, 2021). Initial liver injury was defined as alanine aminotransferase (ALT) or aspartate aminotransferase (AST) levels ≥3 × the upper limit of normal (ULN) or alkaline phosphatase (ALP) or total bilirubin ≥2 × the ULN within 3 days from admission.
Results: Of 509 patients with COVID-19 included in our study, 38 (7.5%) patients had initial liver injury. The DP group had a significantly higher rate of initial liver injury than the PDP group (PDP: 5.9% vs. DP: 11.7%, P = 0.028). The DP group (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]: 2.737, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.322 - 5.666) was independently associated with initial liver injury. During hospitalization, 160 (31.4%) patients had severe COVID-19. The DP group and initial liver injury had higher odds of progressing to severe COVID-19 (aOR: 2.664, 95% CI: 1.526 - 4.648, and aOR: 4.409, 95% CI: 1.816 - 10.707, respectively). The mediation analysis suggested that initial liver injury mediates the relationship between SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant infection and severe COVID-19 (unstandardized beta coefficient = 0.980, Standard error = 0.284, P = 0.001).
Conclusion: Initial liver injury is more common in COVID-19 patients with Delta variants. Also, Delta variants and initial liver injury are associated with poor clinical outcomes.
Keywords: COVID-19, Delta variant; Cohort study; Liver injury; Outcome.
. 2022 Dec;54(4):744-756.
doi: 10.3947/ic.2022.0122.
Changing Features of Liver Injury in COVID-19 Patients: Impact of Infection with the SARS-CoV-2 Delta (B.1.617.2) Variants
Chang Wan Choi[SUP] #[/SUP][SUP] 1 [/SUP], Ho Kyung Sung[SUP] #[/SUP][SUP] 2 3 [/SUP], Jae Yoon Jeong[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Dae Hyun Lim[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Jongkyoung Choi[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Hyeok Choon Kwon[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Seongwoo Nam[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Yeonjae Kim[SUP] 5 [/SUP], BumSik Chin[SUP] 5 [/SUP]
Affiliations
- PMID: 36596683
- DOI: 10.3947/ic.2022.0122
Abstract
Background: There is growing evidence that abnormal liver function tests (LFTs) are common in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). However, it is not known whether viral involvement in the liver differs according to the strain. We investigated the impact on liver injury in patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Delta (B.1.617.2) variants.
Materials and methods: We conducted a single-center, retrospective cohort study, including 372 patients admitted during the pre-Delta period (PDP: between February 1 and November 30, 2020) and 137 patients admitted during the Delta period (DP: between August 1 and August 31, 2021). Initial liver injury was defined as alanine aminotransferase (ALT) or aspartate aminotransferase (AST) levels ≥3 × the upper limit of normal (ULN) or alkaline phosphatase (ALP) or total bilirubin ≥2 × the ULN within 3 days from admission.
Results: Of 509 patients with COVID-19 included in our study, 38 (7.5%) patients had initial liver injury. The DP group had a significantly higher rate of initial liver injury than the PDP group (PDP: 5.9% vs. DP: 11.7%, P = 0.028). The DP group (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]: 2.737, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.322 - 5.666) was independently associated with initial liver injury. During hospitalization, 160 (31.4%) patients had severe COVID-19. The DP group and initial liver injury had higher odds of progressing to severe COVID-19 (aOR: 2.664, 95% CI: 1.526 - 4.648, and aOR: 4.409, 95% CI: 1.816 - 10.707, respectively). The mediation analysis suggested that initial liver injury mediates the relationship between SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant infection and severe COVID-19 (unstandardized beta coefficient = 0.980, Standard error = 0.284, P = 0.001).
Conclusion: Initial liver injury is more common in COVID-19 patients with Delta variants. Also, Delta variants and initial liver injury are associated with poor clinical outcomes.
Keywords: COVID-19, Delta variant; Cohort study; Liver injury; Outcome.