Liver Injury in Patients with COVID-19: A Retrospective Study.

The objective of this study is to explore the incidence, characteristics, risk factors, and prognosis of liver injury in patients with COVID-19. We collected clinical data of 384 cases of COVID-19 and retrospectively analyzed the incidence, characteristics, and risk factors of liver injury of the patients. In addition, we followed the patient two months after discharge. A total of 23.7% of the patients with COVID-19 had liver injury, with higher serum AST ( < 0.001), ALT ( < 0.001), ALP ( = 0.004), GGT ( < 0.001), total bilirubin ( = 0.002), indirect bilirubin ( = 0.025) and direct bilirubin ( < 0.001) than the control group. The median serum AST and ALT of COVID-19 patients with liver injury were mildly elevated. Risk factors of liver injury in COVID-19 patients were age ( = 0.001), history of liver diseases ( = 0.002), alcoholic abuse ( = 0.036), body mass index ( = 0.037), severity of COVID-19 ( < 0.001), C-reactive protein ( < 0.001), erythrocyte sedimentation rate ( < 0.001), Qing-Fei-Pai-Du-Tang treatment ( = 0.032), mechanical ventilation ( < 0.001), and ICU admission ( < 0.001). Most of the patients (92.3%) with liver injury were treated with hepatoprotective drugs. 95.6% of the patients returned to normal liver function tests at 2 months after discharge. Liver injury was commen in COVID-19 patients with risk factors, most of them have mild elevations in transaminases, and conservative treatment has a good short-term prognosis.