Liver Involvement in COVID-19 infected patients

Coronavirus outbreak in December 2019 was reported in the city of Wuhan, China firstly named 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV). Later on, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared another name for this disease which is Corona Virus Disease (COVID-19). On the eleventh of March, 2020, WHO considered the disease as a pandemic. Person-to-person transmission has been reported either through droplet transmission or direct contact. The affected individuals complain from mild symptoms to severe acute respiratory syndrome (ARDS). With the increasing number of COVID-19 infected patients, several studies reported that the liver is the most frequently affected organ after lung damage. Elevation of transaminases was frequently reported in patients with severe disease and patients admitted to ICU. The mechanism of hepatic injury in COVID-19 not completely understood. Multiple factors have been accused including direct invasion of the hepatocyte by SARS-CoV-2, high level of inflammatory mediators, drug-induced hepatic injury, and or concomitant chronic liver diseases. So, evaluation of the mechanism of hepatic injuries in COVID-19 infection is needed.