tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
World J Hepatol
. 2022 Feb 27;14(2):479-481.
doi: 10.4254/wjh.v14.i2.479.
COVID-19 and liver disease: Are we missing something?
Tarana Gupta[SUP] 1 [/SUP]
Affiliations
Abstract
Since the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has hit the world as a pandemic, researchers all over the world have worked on its diagnostics, prognosticating factors, etc. The present study showed liver enzymes, especially aspartate aminotransferase (AST) levels, to be high in non-survivors with raised AST/alanine aminotransferase ratio. Considering the non-specific nature of AST with its presence in organs other than liver such as muscle, heart, kidney and brain makes it difficult to interpret. Even pre-existing metabolic syndrome and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease are confounding factors for deranged liver functions detected during COVID-19 disease. Therefore, the results of the study should be taken with caution.
Keywords: COVID-19; Cholangiocytes; Hepatocytes; Liver disease; Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease; Transaminases.
. 2022 Feb 27;14(2):479-481.
doi: 10.4254/wjh.v14.i2.479.
COVID-19 and liver disease: Are we missing something?
Tarana Gupta[SUP] 1 [/SUP]
Affiliations
- PMID: 35317182
- PMCID: PMC8891679
- DOI: 10.4254/wjh.v14.i2.479
Abstract
Since the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has hit the world as a pandemic, researchers all over the world have worked on its diagnostics, prognosticating factors, etc. The present study showed liver enzymes, especially aspartate aminotransferase (AST) levels, to be high in non-survivors with raised AST/alanine aminotransferase ratio. Considering the non-specific nature of AST with its presence in organs other than liver such as muscle, heart, kidney and brain makes it difficult to interpret. Even pre-existing metabolic syndrome and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease are confounding factors for deranged liver functions detected during COVID-19 disease. Therefore, the results of the study should be taken with caution.
Keywords: COVID-19; Cholangiocytes; Hepatocytes; Liver disease; Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease; Transaminases.