Hepatic steatosis as an independent risk factor for severe disease in patients with COVID-19: A computed tomography...

Hepatic steatosis (HS) is associated with diabetes, hypertension, and obesity, comorbidities recently related to COVID-19 severity. Here, we assessed if tomographic HS is also a risk factor for severe COVID-19 pneumonia.

We included 213 patients with a positive real time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test and chest computed tomography (CT) from an out-hospital facility and a hospital. We obtained information on demographics; weight; height; smoking history; diabetes; hypertension; and cardiovascular, lung, and renal disease. Two radiologists scored the CO-RADs system (COVID-19 Reporting and Data System) (1 = normal, 2 = inconsistent, 3-4 = indeterminate, and 5 = typical findings) and the chest CT severity index (≥20 of 40 was considered severe disease). They evaluated the liver-to-spleen ratio (CT_L/S) and defined tomographic steatosis as a CT_L/S index ≤0.9. We used descriptive statistics, χ² and t student tests, logistic regression, and reported odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence interval (CI).

Of the patients, 61% were men, with a mean age of 51.2 years, 48.3% were CO-RADs 1 and 51.7% CO-RADs 2-5. Severe tomographic disease was present in 103 patients (48.4%), all CO-RADs 5. This group was older; mostly men; and with a higher prevalence of obesity, hypertension, diabetes, and HS (69.9 vs 29%). On multivariate analysis, age (OR 1.058, 95% CI 1.03-1.086, P < 0.0001), male gender (OR 1.9, 95% CI 1.03-3.8, P = 0.04), and HS (OR 4.9, 95% CI 2.4-9.7, P < 0.0001) remained associated.

HS was independently associated with severe COVID pneumonia. The physiopathological explanation of this finding remains to be elucidated. CT_L/S should be routinely measured in thoracic CT scans in patients with COVID-19 pneumonia.