Abnormal Liver Function Test in Patients Infected with Coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2): A Retrospective Single-Center Study from Spain
Raquel Benedé‐Ubieto, Olga Estévez‐Vázquez, Vicente Flores-Perojo, Ricardo Ulises Macías‐Rodríguez, Astrid Ruiz‐Margáin, Eduardo Martı́nez-Naves, José R. Regueiro, Matías A. Ávila, Christian Trautwein, Rafael Bañares, Jaime Bosch, Francisco Javier Cubero, Yulia A. Nevzorova
Abstract
The outbreak of the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 epidemic has rapidly spread and still poses a serious threat to healthcare systems worldwide. In the present study, electronic medical records containing clinical indicators related to liver injury in 799 COVID-19-confirmed patients admitted to a hospital in Madrid (Spain) were extracted and analyzed. Correlation between liver injury and disease outcome was also evaluated. Serum levels of Alanine aminotransferase (ALT), Aspartate aminotransferase (AST), Gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT), Alkaline phosphatase (ALP), Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and AST/ALT ratio were elevated above the Upper Limit of Normal (ULN) in 25.73%, 49.17%, 34.62%, 24.21%, 55.84% and 75% of patients, respectively. Interestingly, significant positive correlation between LDH levels and the AST/ALT ratio with disease outcome was found. Our data showed that SARS-CoV-2 virus infection leads to mild, but significant changes in serum markers of liver injury. The upregulated LDH levels as well as AST/ALT ratios upon admission may be used as additional diagnostic characteristic for COVID-19 patients.