Evaluation of Liver Enzyme Levels in Patients with SARS-CoV-2 Infection

Abstract

Background: Although coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a respiratory disease, it seems that liver abnormalities are also prevalent in the patients. Objectives: The present study aimed to evaluate liver enzymes in COVID-19 patients. Methods: This descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted on 111 COVID-19 patients admitted to Imam Reza Hospital in Kermanshah during September-November 2020. The required data were extracted from the hospital files, and data analysis was performed in the Excel software and SPSS version 21. Results: The mean age of the patients was 60.87 ± 15.85 years. 50.5% of patients were female. Among the patients, 38.7% had hypertension, 19.8% had diabetes, and 7.2% had cardiovascular diseases. Moreover, 34.2% of the patients had abnormal aspartate aminotransferase (AST), 17.1% had abnormal alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and 100% had abnormal lactate dehydrogenase (LDH). Conclusions: According to the results, hypertension, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases were the most common comorbidities among the COVID-19 patients. AST, ALT, and LDH are important indicators of hepatic disorders, which were abnormal in these patients as well. Moreover, the patients aged less than 60 years, male patients, and those with renal disorders had a higher mean ALT.