AUTHOR=Liu Zeming , Hu Di , Li Jinpeng , Xia Qing , Gong Yan , Li Zhengwei , Wu Qian , Yi Meilin , Huang Yihui , Wu Meng , Guo Liang , Wu Xiaohui TITLE=Prognostic Potential of Liver Enzymes in Patients With COVID-19 at the Leishenshan Hospital in Wuhan JOURNAL=Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology VOLUME=11 YEAR=2021 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/cellular-and-infection-microbiology/articles/10.3389/fcimb.2021.636999 DOI=10.3389/fcimb.2021.636999 ISSN=2235-2988 ABSTRACT=Background

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has evolved into a pandemic. We hypothesized that biochemical indicators of liver function may help determine the prognosis of COVID-19 patients.

Methods

Patient information was collected from the Wuhan-Leishenshan hospital. Logistic and Cox regression analyses, Kaplan-Meier curves, and Curve fitting were used to determine the correlation between elevated levels of aspartate transaminase (AST), alanine transaminase (ALT), and AST/ALT and severity of disease/mortality.

Results

Logistic and Cox regression analyses and Kaplan-Meier survival curves showed that COVID-19 progression correlated with elevated levels of AST and AST/ALT. The odds ratios for elevated levels of AST and AST/ALT in patients were 0.818 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.274-2.441, P = 0.035) and 2.055 (95% CI: 1.269-3.327, P = 0.003), respectively; the hazard ratios were 4.195 (95% CI: 1.219-14.422, P = 0.023) and 3.348 (95% CI: 1.57-7.139, P = 0.002), respectively. The Kaplan-Meier survival curves demonstrated that patients with elevated AST and AST/ALT levels had a higher risk of developing severe COVID-19.

Conclusion

Elevated AST and AST/ALT levels correlated with severity of COVID-19 and mortality. Liver function tests may help clinicians in determining the prognosis of patients undergoing treatment for COVID-19.