COVID-19 and the Liver: A Complex and Evolving Picture

Abstract

Although the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) primarily attacks the respiratory system, other organs, such as the liver, are also affected. In this overview, the effects of SARS-CoV-2 infection on the liver in both healthy people and in those with pre-existing liver disease are documented; the relationship between coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) vaccination and liver injury is examined; the mechanism of SARS-CoV-2-associated liver injury is explored; and the long-term consequences of COVID-19 are delineated, both in people with and without pre-existing liver disease.

COVID-19, Possible Hepatic Pathways and Alcohol Abuse—What Do We Know up to 2023?

“…No pathognomonic features of hepatitis due to SARS-CoV-2 infection have been found in liver biopsy specimens. Nonetheless, some data revealed the presence of tropism of the virus in the liver [63][64][65]. This organ can constitute a potential target for infection because of the presence of the SARS-CoV-2 receptor, ACE2, on the surface of the hepatic Kupffer cells, hepatocytes and cholangiocytes [66,67].…”