Role of hepatosteatosis in the prognosis of COVID 19 disease

PURPOSE: To measure the degree of fatty liver using non-contrast enhanced chest computed tomography (CT) and investigate its relationship with the severity and prognosis of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in adult patients. METHODS: This retrospective study included consecutive patients who had been diagnosed with COVID-19 using real-time reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and subsequently underwent non-contrast enhanced chest CT between October 10 and December 10, 2020. Hepatic attenuation values were measured from Couinaud segments 2, 4, and 8 based on the CT images and the relationships between these values and the Pneumonia Severity Score (PSS), requirement of hospitalization, and the length of hospital and intensive care unit (ICU) stay were analyzed. RESULTS: The study included 414 patients (182 were female, 43.96%), among whom 106 (25.6%) were diagnosed with hepatosteatosis (HS). In the patients with HS, the PSS scores were higher (10.8 ± 4.96 vs. 8.07 ± 5.12; p < 0.001), and 69 (65%) received inpatient care. Moreover, the number of HS patients who received inpatient care was 1.99 (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.26–3.15, p < 0.003) times higher than that of the non-HS patients. No significant difference was found between the HS and non-HS patients with regard to the length of hospital or ICU stay. CONCLUSION: HS can be easily evaluated using non-contrast enhanced chest CT in COVID-19 patients and can be used as a prognostic marker to determine the requirement of hospitalization.