Hepatobiliary Involvement in Neonates With COVID-19 Infection: A Narrative Review

The most common symptoms in neonates with severe COVID-19 infection have been respiratory problems. The virus may adversely affect organs such as the liver. 

Studies focusing solely on liver involvement in newborns with COVID-19 infection were searched in Pubmed, Scopus, and Google Scholar databases. Eight studies were finally reviewed.

Direct viral invasion (COVID-19-induced hepatitis or systemic inflammatory response) and drug-induced may contribute to liver damage in neonates. SARS-CoV-2 may be the latest spark in toxoplasmosis, other agents, rubella, cytomegalovirus, herpes infections, and fetal liver involvement may be induced by transplacental transmission. 

Hepatic dysfunction is infrequent but important in neonates with COVID-19 infection and the mechanism of liver damage associated with COVID-19 may differ from that in adults.