# Determinants of abnormal liver-related biomarkers in adult COVID-19 patients

## TL;DR

This study identifies factors like sex, age, and HBV infection that are linked to abnormal liver biomarkers in adult patients with COVID-19.

## Contribution

The study reveals novel associations between demographic, clinical, and imaging factors and liver biomarker abnormalities in adult COVID-19 patients.

## Key findings

- Females had lower risks of elevated liver injury markers compared to males.
- Older patients had higher AST levels but lower albumin and ALT levels.
- HBV-infected patients had significantly higher risks of abnormal DBil and AST.

## Abstract

Serum hepatic injury markers indexes are altered in COVID-19 patients. We aimed to explore the factors that could be associated with abnormal serum hepatic injury markers in adult COVID-19 patients.

Eight main hepatic injury markers were examined. Demographic and hematological information, mean CT values (MCTVs) of liver and pancreas, and abdominal subcutaneous fat thickness were recorded. Regression analysis was conducted to identify factors related to abnormal hepatic injury markers.

1,007 adult COVID-19 patients (444 males and 563 females) were included, among whom 697 patients (69.2%) had at least one abnormal hepatic injury markers marker. Females had lower risks of elevated Total Bilirubin (TBil), Direct Bilirubin (Dbil), ALT, AST, GGT and decreased albumin, with ORs of 0.61 (95%CI: 0.42-0.89), 0.36 (95%CI: 0.16-0.83), 0.20 (95%CI: 0.12-0.32), 0.42 (95%CI: 0.30-0.58), 0.36 (95%CI: 0.22-0.60) and 0.40 (95%CI: 0.30-0.54). Patients with greater ratios of subcutaneous fat thickness to abdominal diameters also had lower risks of abnormalities in these six markers. Older patients had higher serum levels of AST but lower levels of albumin and ALT. The risks of abnormal DBil and AST were 3.26 and 1.62 times higher in patients with a history of HBV infection. Patients with many abnormal hepatic injury markers indexes had significantly lower MCTVs of liver and pancreas and higher levels of fibrinogen and LDH in blood.

Sex, age, HBV infection, fibrinogen, LDH, liver and pancreas MCTVs, and ratio of abdominal subcutaneous fat thickness to the sum of the abdominal diameters were independently associated with many abnormal serum hepatic injury markers in adult COVID-19 patients.