Published online Apr 26, 2020. doi: 10.12998/wjcc.v8.i8.1385
Peer-review started: March 25, 2020
First decision: April 7, 2020
Revised: April 8, 2020
Accepted: April 11, 2020
Article in press: April 11, 2020
Published online: April 26, 2020
Processing time: 29 Days and 16.8 Hours
In patients infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, the respiratory symptoms, such as fever, cough and dyspnea, are the most frequent clinical manifestations. These patients may also present with less well-defined symptoms like diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and/or abdominal discomfort both at the time of diagnosis and during the clinical course. In a few cases, these symptoms may also present before the appearance of respiratory symptoms. To penetrate the body, Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 uses ACE2 receptors, which are present not only in respiratory epithelium but also in gastrointestinal mucosa and liver cholangiocytes. In several cases, viral RNA is detectable in the stool of patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The liver damage seems to show a multifactorial origin. About 2%-11% of patients with COVID-19 have known underlying hepatic pathologies. In 14%-53% of COVID-19 cases, there is an alteration of the indices of liver cytolysis and is more frequently observed in severe forms of COVID-19, especially during hospitalization.
Core tip: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection currently represents an emerging pandemic. More and more published papers, with constantly updated data, highlight a concomitant hepatic impairment, particularly, an hypertransaminasemia. In this mini-review, we will try to analyze the incidence and pathogenetic hypothesis of this phenomenon using the currently available data.