Publications

Liver injury has been described with COVID-19, and early reports suggested 2%-11% of patients had chronic liver disease (CLD). In this multicentre retrospective study, we evaluated hospitalized adults with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 and the impact of CLD on relevant clinical outcomes. Of 363 patients included, 19% had CLD, including 15.2% with NAFLD. Patients with CLD had longer length of stay. After controlling for age, gender, obesity, cardiac diseases, hypertension, hyperlipidaemia, diabetes and pulmonary disorders, CLD and NAFLD were independently associated with ICU admission ([aOR 1.77, 95% CI 1.03-3.04] and [aOR 2.30, 95% CI 1.27-4.17]) and mechanical ventilation ([aOR 2.08, 95% CI 1.20-3.60] and [aOR 2.15, 95% CI 1.18-3.91]). Presence of cirrhosis was an independent predictor of mortality (aOR 12.5, 95% CI 2.16-72.5). Overall, nearly one-fifth of hospitalized COVID-19 patients had CLD, which was associated with more critical illness. Future studies are needed to identify interventions to improve clinical outcomes.