Assessment of Liver Enzymes in Hospitalized Patients with COVID-19 and Its Relationship with Length of Stay, Recovery and Death

In the epidemic of COVID-19, intensive care units usually bear a heavy burden due to overcrowding of patients who need hospitalization, which can be due to liver involvement in these patients. This study was conducted to assess the relationship between liver enzymes in COVID-19 patients and the need for hospitalization in the intensive care unit, as well as to investigate its relationship with the length of stay in the intensive care unit.

In this analytical cross-sectional study, 622 hospitalized patients with COVID-19 who referred to Firoozgar Hospital were investigated in terms of length of stay, recovery or death and its relationship with abnormal liver enzymes.

The mean level of AST and ALT in people hospitalized in ICU was 49 (95% CI: 43.4-54.6) and 29.2 (95% CI: 24.1-34.2), respectively, and it was 42.5 (95% CI: 36.7-48.3) and 31.2 (95% CI: 25.8-36.6), respectively, in the general ward. The mean level of AST and ALT in patients hospitalized for less than 7 days was 49.4 (95% CI: 43.9-54.8) and 27 (95% CI: 21.6-32.3), respectively, and in patients hospitalized for more than 7 days was 41.6 (95% CI: 35.6-47.5) and 32.2 (95% CI: 37.3-27.1), respectively. None of the abnormal data was significant based on hospital department and length of stay.

The results of this study did not show any significant relationship between the need for admission to ICU and the abnormal levels of liver enzymes. Furthermore, no relationship was found between the length of stay and the severity of liver involvement based on the assessment of abnormal liver enzymes.