Liver involvement in systemic infection

Abstract

The liver is often involved in systemic infections, resulting in various types of abnormal liver function test results. In particular, hyperbilirubinemia in the range of 2-10 mg/dL is often seen in patients with sepsis, and several mechanisms for this phenomenon have been proposed. In this review, we summarize how the liver is involved in various systemic infections that are not considered to be primarily hepatotropic. In most patients with systemic infections, treatment for the invading microbes is enough to normalize the liver function tests. However, some patients may show severe liver injury or fulminant hepatic failure, requiring intensive treatment of the liver.

Keywords: Liver dysfunction, Liver function test, Systemic infection, Immunology, Liver failure

Core tip: The liver is frequently involved in systemic infections, resulting in various types of abnormal liver function test results. It is very important to know the frequency and the patterns of abnormal liver function test results in each infection for the appropriate management of the patients. However, there have been few reports focusing on this issue. Here, we gather information from previous reports on this topic to provide a comprehensive summary that will help clinicians interpret abnormal liver function test results according to the associated infection.