[Characteristics of liver function changes in 111 elderly patients with COVID-19 pneumonia]

Area of Science:

• Hepatology
• Infectious Diseases
• Geriatrics

Background:

• COVID-19 pneumonia affects elderly individuals, with potential implications for liver function.
• Liver function abnormalities are increasingly recognized in patients with severe COVID-19.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze liver function changes in elderly COVID-19 patients.
• To identify factors influencing liver dysfunction in this demographic.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of 111 elderly COVID-19 patients.
• Categorization based on disease severity and liver function status.
• Assessment of liver function indexes including total bilirubin (TBil), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and γ-glutamyl transferase (GGT).

Main Results:

• 77.5% of patients exhibited abnormal liver function; 25.2% had liver injury.
• Severe COVID-19 cases showed significantly higher rates of abnormal TBil, AST, ALP, and GGT.
• Male gender was more prevalent in the abnormal liver function group.

Conclusions:

• Elderly COVID-19 patients demonstrate a high incidence of abnormal liver function.
• Severe disease correlates with elevated liver enzymes (TBil, AST, ALP, GGT).
• Potential causes include direct viral hepatitis and inflammatory immune responses.