Hepatic Medicine: Evidence and Research (Nov 2023)
COVID-19 and the Liver: A Complex and Evolving Picture
Abstract
Simon D Taylor-Robinson,1,2 Marsha Y Morgan3 1Department of Surgery and Cancer, Imperial College London, London, UK; 2Department of Public Health, Busitema University and Mbale Clinical Research Institute, Mbale, Uganda; 3UCL Institute for Liver & Digestive Health, Division of Medicine, Royal Free Campus, University College London, London, UKCorrespondence: Simon D Taylor-Robinson, Department of Surgery and Cancer, St Mary’s Hospital Campus, Imperial College London, London, SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom, Email [email protected]: Although the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) primarily attacks the respiratory system, other organs, such as the liver, are also affected. In this overview, the effects of SARS-CoV-2 infection on the liver in both healthy people and in those with pre-existing liver disease are documented; the relationship between coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) vaccination and liver injury is examined; the mechanism of SARS-CoV-2-associated liver injury is explored; and the long-term consequences of COVID-19 are delineated, both in people with and without pre-existing liver disease.Keywords: COVID-19, COVID-19 liver disease, pathophysiology, SARS-CoV-2
