Changes in Serum Liver Function for Patients with COVID-19: A 1-Year Follow-Up Study

OBJECTIVE: Abnormal liver function and liver injury related to COVID-19 during hospitalization has received widespread attention. However, the long-term observation of patients’ liver functions after discharge has not been investigated. This study intends to analyze the abnormal liver function in patients one year after they are discharged. METHODS: Serum liver function tests were analyzed for the first time immediately after hospitalization (T1), before discharge (T2), a median of 14.0 (14.0, 15.0) days after discharge (T3) and 1 year (356.0 (347.8, 367.0) days) after discharge (T4). Patients with at least one serum parameter (ALT, AST, ALP, GGT and TB) exceeding the upper limit of reference range were defined as having abnormal liver function. RESULTS: For the 118 COVID-19 patients with a median follow-up time of 376.0 (71.5, 385.3) days from onset to the end of the follow-up after discharge, the proportion with abnormal liver function in T1, T2, T3 and T4 were 32.2%, 45.8%, 54.8% and 28.8%, respectively. The proportion of patients with at least once abnormal liver function detected from T1 to T2, T1 to T3, T1 to T4 was 60.2%, 77.4% and 88.9%, respectively. From T1 to T4, the ALT, AST, GGT and BMI at admission were significantly higher in the patients with persistently abnormal liver function than in the patients with persistently normal liver function. Abnormal liver function was mainly manifested in the elevation of GGT and TB levels. Multivariate logistics regression analysis showed that age and gender-adjusted ALT (odds ratio [OR]=2.041, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.170–3.561, P=0.012) at admission was a risk factor for abnormal liver function in the T4 stage. CONCLUSION: Abnormal liver function in patients with COVID-19 can persist from admission to one year after discharge, and therefore, the long-term dynamic monitoring of liver function in patients with COVID-19 is necessary.