Unit of Addiction and Hepatology, Alcohological Regional Center, ASL3 c/o San Martino Hospital, Genoa, Italy -
Unit of Gastroenterology, Molinette Hospital, Città della Salute e della Scienza, Turin, Italy.
Minerva Gastroenterol (Torino). 2021 Sep;67(3):283-288. doi: 10.23736/S2724-5985.21.02893-X. Epub 2021 May 10.
World Gastroenterology Organization define acute on chronic liver failure (ACLF) a syndrome in patients with chronic liver disease with or without previously diagnosed cirrhosis, characterized by acute hepatic decompensation resulting in liver failure and one or more extrahepatic organ failures, associated with increased mortality up to three months. A-56-year-old gentleman with alcohol related liver cirrhosis (ARLC) and history of variceal bleeding with insertion of transjugular intrahepatic porto-systemic stent shunt presented with two days history of fever, dry cough and worsening of the sensory. The severe acute respiratory coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) nasopharingeal C-reactive protein test was positive. X-ray showed multiple patchy ground glass opacities in both lungs. Despite the therapy, the clinical and laboratory picture deteriorated rapidly. The patient succumbed on day 14 with multi-organ-failure. SARS-Cov-2 infection can overlap with pre-existing chronic liver disease or induce liver damage directly or indirectly. From the data of the literature and from what is inferred from the case report it clearly emerges that alcohol related liver disease (ALD) patients are particularly vulnerable to SARS-Cov-2 infection. Thereafter, some considerations can be deduced from the analysis of the case report. In subjects with pre-existing cirrhosis hepatologists should play more attention to hepatic injury and monitor risk of hepatic failure caused by coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). It is appropriate to promptly define the alcoholic etiology and investigate whether the patient is actively consuming. In fact, withdrawal symptoms may be present, and the prognosis of these patients is also worse. Physicians should be alerted to the possibility of the development of ACLF in this population, hepatotoxic drugs should be avoided, it is recommended to use of hepatoprotective therapy to mitigate the negative impact of COVID-19, and it is mandatory to administer anti COVID-19 vaccine to patients with alcohol related liver cirrhosis.
世界胃肠病组织将慢加急性肝衰竭(ACLF)定义为伴有或不伴有先前诊断的肝硬化的慢性肝病患者的综合征,其特征为急性肝失代偿导致肝功能衰竭和一个或多个肝外器官衰竭,与三个月内的死亡率增加相关。一位 56 岁的男性,有酒精性肝病(ALD)和静脉曲张出血史,曾行经颈静脉肝内门体分流支架植入术,因发热、干咳和感觉恶化两天就诊。严重急性呼吸综合征冠状病毒-2(SARS-CoV-2)鼻咽 C 反应蛋白检测呈阳性。X 射线显示双肺多个斑片状磨玻璃影。尽管进行了治疗,但临床和实验室情况迅速恶化。患者在第 14 天死于多器官衰竭。SARS-CoV-2 感染可与先前存在的慢性肝病重叠,或直接或间接导致肝损伤。从文献数据和病例报告推断,显然 ALD 患者特别容易受到 SARS-CoV-2 感染。此后,从病例报告的分析中可以得出一些结论。对于存在肝硬化的患者,肝科医生应更加注意肝损伤,并监测由新型冠状病毒肺炎(COVID-19)引起的肝功能衰竭风险。及时确定酒精性病因并调查患者是否正在积极饮酒是合适的。事实上,可能存在戒断症状,这些患者的预后也更差。医生应警惕此类人群中 ACLF 的发生可能性,避免使用肝毒性药物,建议使用肝保护治疗减轻 COVID-19 的负面影响,并强制为酒精性肝硬化患者接种 COVID-19 疫苗。
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