Covid-19: chronic liver disease patients at high risk of liver failure and bile duct damage

Patients with chronic liver disease may suffer hepatic complications as a result of severe Covid-19. A study conducted by a research team led by Lukas Hartl, Thomas Reiberger and Michael Trauner from the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology of MedUni Vienna and University Hospital Vienna found that a rise in cholestasis parameters and subsequent damage to the bile ducts, so-called secondary sclerosing cholangitis (SSC), develops with striking frequency in patients with pre-existing liver disease. SSC occurs significantly more frequently after Covid-19 than after other serious illnesses. The study was published in the prestigious journal "Hepatology". Within the context of a cross-sectional study, a research team led by Lukas Hartl, Thomas Reiberger and Michael Trauner from the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology within the Department of Medicine III of MedUni Vienna and University Hospital Vienna analysed the liver chemistries of 496 hospitalised patients with Covid-19. 65 of these patients had pre-existing liver disease, such as fatty liver disease, cirrhosis or hepatocellular carcinoma. The focus of the study was to accurately describe the trajectory of liver chemistires in these patients following infection.