Coronavirus: Study finds link between COVID and long term liver damage; warns against a dangerous side effect

Even though COVID-19 is a respiratory illness, it can affect more than just your lungs and respiratory tracts. Research has shown that the SARs-CoV-2 virus can cause inflammation throughout the body, affecting different organs including your heart, brain and liver, leading to several symptoms. As a matter of fact, a recent study has suggested that COVID-19 can cause severe liver injury, resulting in liver damage that can last long after the viral infection.

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According to a study published at the annual meeting of the Radiology Society of North America, people who have had COVID are more likely to suffer from liver injury in the months and years post infection.

The researchers from the Massachusetts General Hospital in the US found a significant link between higher liver stiffness and COVID infection when compared with the rest of the population.

Study author Doctor Firouzeh Heidari said, “Our study is part of emerging evidence that COVID-19 infection may lead to liver injury that lasts well after the acute illness.”

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Liver stiffness, the newly discovered possible side effect of COVID-19, is said to help with the diagnosis of liver fibrosis and/or scar tissue within the liver. It can also indicate long term liver injury. In addition, it is believed that progressive fibrosis can even lead to liver cancer and even failure.

However, Dr Heidari says, "We don't yet know if elevated liver stiffness observed after Covid-19 infection will lead to adverse patient outcomes."

The study involved patients who had received a positive PCR test at least 12 weeks before the exam and two other control groups, both of which underwent ultrasound shear wave elastography to measure liver stiffness.

The first of the two control groups included people who had never received a positive COVID PCR test throughout the pandemic. The second group involved patients who had received ultrasound shear wave elastography testing before the pandemic.

The scientists discovered that COVID-positive patients had a high median liver stiffness of 7.68 kPa, compared to 5.99 kPa stiffness in those who didn't have COVID.

Even though the researchers couldn't provide details to why this was the case, the study concludes that COVID-19 does impact the liver.

Dr Heidari said, “We don’t yet know if elevated liver stiffness observed after COVID-19 infection will lead to adverse patient outcomes.

“We are currently investigating whether the severity of acute COVID-related symptoms is predictive of long-term liver injury severity.

"We hope to enrich our existing database with additional patient data and a broader scope of covariates to better understand the post-acute effects of COVID-19 within the liver," he adds.

The best way to avoid long term complications of COVID is by protecting yourself from contracting the disease in the first place. This can be achieved through proper COVID measures.

Wearing masks, maintaining social distance and following proper hand hygiene are some of the proven ways to curb the spread of the virus. Furthermore, one must get their vaccination or booster doses on time.