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World J Clin Cases. Sep 26, 2021; 9(27): 7998-8007
Published online Sep 26, 2021. doi: 10.12998/wjcc.v9.i27.7998
Impact of COVID-19 on liver
Yu-Jang Su, Chen-Wang Chang, Ming-Jen Chen, Yen-Chun Lai
Yu-Jang Su, Department of Emergency Medicine, MacKay Memorial Hospital, Taipei City 10449, Taiwan
Yu-Jang Su, Poison Center, Department of Emergency Medicine, MacKay Memorial Hospital, Taipei City 10449, Taiwan
Yu-Jang Su, Yuanpei University of Medical Technology, HsinChu 30015, Taiwan
Yu-Jang Su, Chen-Wang Chang, Ming-Jen Chen, MacKay Junior College of Medicine, Nursing and Management, Taipei City 25245, Taiwan
Yu-Jang Su, Chen-Wang Chang, Ming-Jen Chen, Department of Medicine, MacKay Medical College, New Taipei City 25245, Taiwan
Chen-Wang Chang, Ming-Jen Chen, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine, MacKay Memorial Hospital, Taipei City 10449, Taiwan
Yen-Chun Lai, Department of Anesthesiology, Taipei Medical University Hospital, Taipei City 110301, Taiwan
Yen-Chun Lai, Heroic Faith Medical Science Company, Taipei 11493, Taiwan
Author contributions: Su YJ contributed to study design, data gathering, writing, revision and corresponded; Chang CW and Chen MJ contributed to data gathering and writing; Lai YC contributed to data gathering and writing.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declared that they have no conflicting interests.
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: Yu-Jang Su, MD, Assistant Professor, Director, Doctor, Teacher, Department of Emergency Medicine, MacKay Memorial Hospital, No. 92 Section 2, North Chung Shan Road, Taipei City 10449, Taiwan. yjsu.5885@mmh.org.tw
Received: March 3, 2021
Peer-review started: March 3, 2021
First decision: April 17, 2021
Revised: April 22, 2021
Accepted: August 9, 2021
Article in press: August 9, 2021
Published online: September 26, 2021
Core Tip

Core Tip: The main cause of mortality in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection is a respiratory complication, but the liver is one of the most affected organs after the respiratory system. The incidence of liver injury after COVID-19 infection ranges from 15%-53%. COVID-19-infected patients with liver injury may have higher liver enzyme levels, lower monocyte count and longer prothrombin time than those without liver injury. The risks of transfer to an intensive care unit, need of mechanical ventilator support, and acute kidney injury are higher in COVID-19 patients with, than in those without, abnormal liver function tests. Increased mortality and longer length of hospital stay are both observed.