How does COVID-19 affect patients with chronic liver disease?

What is it about?

COVID-19 infection can have bad effects for people with chronic health conditions, such as chronic liver disease (CLD). There is little information on how COVID-19 affects patients with CLD. In this study, the authors looked at how COVID-19 infections affected patients with CLD. They also studied how COVID-19 affects patients who received liver transplants (LT). They examined 42 patients with CLD or LT who were positive for COVID-19. They found that 35.7% of the patients needed to be hospitalized. 16.7% of the patients required breathing support and 9.5% needed intensive care. Four out of the 42 patients died. The rates of hospitalization and death reported here are lower than those reported in other studies.

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Photo by Fusion Medical Animation on Unsplash

Photo by Fusion Medical Animation on Unsplash

Why is it important?

Pre-existing illness or chronic conditions contribute to severe illness and death in COVID-19 infections. It is important to understand how COVID-19 affects patients with such conditions. Most studies on COVID-19 in patients with CLD focus on patients who are hospitalized. This means that they look only at severe cases. This study included patients with varying degrees of COVID-19 and CLD severity. Its results better represent real-world experiences. The study also looked at how COVID-19 infections affected patients with LT. Patients with LT take special medicines called 'immunosuppressors.' These medicines stop their body from fighting against the transplanted liver. But these medicines make the body weak to other infections. This study gives us information on the management of patients with LT during the pandemic. KEY TAKEAWAY: This study looked at how COVID-19 affects patients with CLD and LT. Studying this will help us understand the real-world impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. It will help us plan the use of healthcare resources and prepare for future pandemics.