People suffering from liver diseases more at risk from COVID-19 - study
The doctors conducting the research found that there was at least a 50% increase on liver enzymes, caused by several reasons.
By JERUSALEM POST STAFFCoronavirus vaccine under development (illustrative)(photo credit: DADO RUVIC/REUTERS)
People suffering from Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) have been found to be roughly three times as likely to die from coronavirus than those who did not suffer from any liver disease, according to a study done at Sheba Medical Center.The research studied 382 patients beginning in the first wave of coronavirus in Israel up until the end of May 2020.The doctors conducting the research found that there was at least a 50% increase on liver enzymes, with several causes."It's possible that the coronavirus damages the liver similarly to the way in which it attacks the lungs," said Professor Ziv Ben Ari, head of the the Center for Liver Diseases at Sheba Medical Center."It is also possible that the damage to the liver is done by the medicine given to the patient to treat COVID-19 or an immunological reaction caused by the virus, which causes a Cytokine storm which causes a liver infection.""The study showed that roughly two thirds of the 382 patients there was an increase of liver enzymes, which was more drastic the more severe the condition of the patient suffering from COVID-19," said Dr. Yana Davidov. "15.4% of the 382 patients had a chronic liver disease, with 80% of those suffering from NAFLD. The death rate of these patients stood at about 16.7% as opposed to the 6.8% of death who has no liver diseases. The data also showed that the more severe the liver disease was, the more likely the patient was to die."Ben Ari concluded her statement by saying that it may be worth considering adding those suffering from chronic liver diseases and NAFLD in particular to the at-risk groups from COVID-19.
