Journal of clinical and translational hepatology
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J Clin Transl Hepatol · Mar 2020
ReviewCOVID-19 and Liver Dysfunction: Current Insights and Emergent Therapeutic Strategies.
The outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has attracted increasing worldwide attention. Cases of liver damage or dysfunction (mainly characterized by moderately elevated serum aspartate aminotransferase levels) have been reported among patients with COVID-19. ⋯ Based on the current evidence from case reports and case series, this review article focuses on the demographic and clinical characteristics, potential mechanisms, and treatment options for COVID-19-related liver dysfunction. This review also describes the geographical and demographic distribution of COVID-19-related liver dysfunction, as well as possible underlying mechanisms linking COVID-19 to liver dysfunction, in order to facilitate future drug development, prevention, and control measures for COVID-19.
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J Clin Transl Hepatol · Mar 2020
ReviewCharacteristics and Mechanism of Liver Injury in 2019 Coronavirus Disease.
An outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection (2019 coronavirus disease, COVID-19) since December 2019, from Wuhan, China, has been posing a significant threat to global human health. The clinical features and outcomes of Chinese patients with COVID-19 have been widely reported. Increasing evidence has witnessed the frequent incident liver injury in COVID-19 patients, and it is often manifested as transient elevation of serum aminotransferases; however, the patients seldom have liver failure and obvious intrahepatic cholestasis, unless pre-existing advanced liver disease was present. ⋯ However, there is insufficient evidence for SARS-CoV-2 infected hepatocytes or virus-related liver injury in COVID-19 at present. The clinical, pathological and laboratory characteristics as well as underlying pathophysiology and etiology of liver injury in COVID-19 remain largely unclear. In this review, we highlight these important issues based on the recent developments in the field, for optimizing the management and treatment of liver injury in Chinese patients with COVID-19.