tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
World J Gastroenterol
. 2021 Apr 28;27(16):1738-1750.
doi: 10.3748/wjg.v27.i16.1738.
Coronavirus disease 2019 severity in obesity: Metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease in the spotlight
Isabela Macedo Lopes Vasques-Monteiro[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Vanessa Souza-Mello[SUP] 1 [/SUP]
Affiliations
Abstract
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak has drawn the scientific community's attention to pre-existing metabolic conditions that could aggravate the infection, causing extended viral shedding, prolonged hospitalization, and high death rates. Metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) emerges as a surrogate for COVID-19 severity due to the constellation of metabolic alterations it entails. This review outlines the impact MAFLD exerts on COVID-19 severity in obese subjects, besides the possible mechanistic links to the poor outcomes. The data collected showed that MAFLD patients had poorer COVID-19 outcomes than non-MAFLD obese subjects. MAFLD is generally accompanied by impaired glycemic control and systemic arterial hypertension, both of which can decompensate during the COVID-19 clinical course. Also, MAFLD subjects had higher plasma inflammatory marker concentrations than non-MAFLD subjects, which might be related to an intensified cytokine storm syndrome frequently associated with the need for mechanical ventilation and death. In conclusion, MAFLD represents a higher risk than obesity for COVID-19 severity, resulting in poor outcomes and even progression to non-alcoholic steatohepatitis. Hepatologists should include MAFLD subjects in the high-risk group, intensify preventive measurements, and prioritize their vaccination.
Keywords: COVID-19; Cytokine storm syndrome; Metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease; Obesity; Severity.
. 2021 Apr 28;27(16):1738-1750.
doi: 10.3748/wjg.v27.i16.1738.
Coronavirus disease 2019 severity in obesity: Metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease in the spotlight
Isabela Macedo Lopes Vasques-Monteiro[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Vanessa Souza-Mello[SUP] 1 [/SUP]
Affiliations
- PMID: 33967554
- PMCID: PMC8072197
- DOI: 10.3748/wjg.v27.i16.1738
Abstract
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak has drawn the scientific community's attention to pre-existing metabolic conditions that could aggravate the infection, causing extended viral shedding, prolonged hospitalization, and high death rates. Metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) emerges as a surrogate for COVID-19 severity due to the constellation of metabolic alterations it entails. This review outlines the impact MAFLD exerts on COVID-19 severity in obese subjects, besides the possible mechanistic links to the poor outcomes. The data collected showed that MAFLD patients had poorer COVID-19 outcomes than non-MAFLD obese subjects. MAFLD is generally accompanied by impaired glycemic control and systemic arterial hypertension, both of which can decompensate during the COVID-19 clinical course. Also, MAFLD subjects had higher plasma inflammatory marker concentrations than non-MAFLD subjects, which might be related to an intensified cytokine storm syndrome frequently associated with the need for mechanical ventilation and death. In conclusion, MAFLD represents a higher risk than obesity for COVID-19 severity, resulting in poor outcomes and even progression to non-alcoholic steatohepatitis. Hepatologists should include MAFLD subjects in the high-risk group, intensify preventive measurements, and prioritize their vaccination.
Keywords: COVID-19; Cytokine storm syndrome; Metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease; Obesity; Severity.