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World J Clin Cases. Aug 26, 2020; 8(16): 3405-3410
Published online Aug 26, 2020. doi: 10.12998/wjcc.v8.i16.3405
Liver in the limelight in the corona (COVID-19) time
Harleen Kaur Chela, Syed Bilal Pasha, Omer Basar, Ebubekir Daglilar, Veysel Tahan
Harleen Kaur Chela, Syed Bilal Pasha, Omer Basar, Ebubekir Daglilar, Veysel Tahan, Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65212, United States
Author contributions: Tahan V Conception of idea and critical revisions; Chela HK and Pasha SB Writing of manuscript; Basar O and Daglilar E Reviewing and editing of manuscript.
Conflict-of-interest statement: There is no conflict of interest associated with any of the senior author or other coauthors contributed their efforts in this manuscript.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Veysel Tahan, FACG, FACP, FEBG, MD, Associate Professor, Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University of Missouri, 1 Hospital Drive, Columbia, MO 65212, United States. tahanv@health.missouri.edu
Received: May 14, 2020
Peer-review started: May 14, 2020
First decision: July 3, 2020
Revised: July 8, 2020
Accepted: August 6, 2020
Article in press: August 6, 2020
Published online: August 26, 2020
Abstract

The novel coronavirus, severe acute respiratory syndrome-corona virus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), is a topic of great interest currently in the medical field due to the significant morbidity and mortality associated with it. There is immense curiosity about this virus as knowledge about it is limited from pathogenesis, host related factors and the variable effect it has on different patient populations. Though it has claimed fame due to its ability to compromise the respiratory system, it possess the capability to infect other organs as well including the liver. It is important for clinicians to recognize that the virus can result in multi-organ dysfunction as well. Presentation with gastrointestinal symptoms and involvement of the liver can be subtle and can be misdiagnosed. Those with pre-existing liver disease may be more susceptible as well as those who are immunosuppressed or have other co-morbidities. This review article provides a brief overview of some of the information that is available so far with regards to how the liver is impacted by the coronavirus.

Keywords: Coronavirus, Liver, COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, Angiotensin converting enzyme 2 enzyme, Gastrointestinal

Core tip: The severe acute respiratory syndrome-corona virus-2 infection has created turbulence in the medical field. It is widely known to affect the respiratory system but can involve organs such as the liver. In this article, we provide a brief overview of some of the current available information on coronavirus in relation to the liver.