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World J Gastroenterol. Apr 21, 2022; 28(15): 1526-1535
Published online Apr 21, 2022. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v28.i15.1526
COVID-19 and liver dysfunction: What nutritionists need to know
Ming-Ke Wang, Xue-Lu Yu, Li-Yun Zhou, Hong-Mei Si, Ju-Fen Hui, Deng-Yong Hou, Wei-Peng Li, Ji-Shun Yang
Ming-Ke Wang, Xue-Lu Yu, Li-Yun Zhou, Hong-Mei Si, Ju-Fen Hui, Deng-Yong Hou, Wei-Peng Li, Department of Disease Control and Prevention, Naval Medical Center of PLA, Naval Medical University, Shanghai 200052, China
Ji-Shun Yang, Medical Care Center, Naval Medical Center of PLA, Naval Medical University, Shanghai 200052, China
Author contributions: Wang MK wrote the draft; Yu XL, Zhou LY, Si HM, Hui JF, Hou DY, and Li WP collected the literature; Wang MK and Yang JS conceptualized the article and revised the manuscript; and all authors have read and approved the final manuscript.
Supported by Major Construction Program of Military Key Disciplines during the 13th Five-Year Plan Period, No. 2020SZ21-15.
Conflict-of-interest statement: There are no conflict of interest related to this article.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Ji-Shun Yang, MD, PhD, Director, Medical Care Center, Naval Medical Center of PLA, Naval Medical University, No. 338 Huaihai West Road, Shanghai 200052, China. jasunyang@foxmail.com
Received: March 12, 2021
Peer-review started: March 12, 2021
First decision: April 17, 2021
Revised: April 24, 2021
Accepted: March 27, 2022
Article in press: March 27, 2022
Published online: April 21, 2022
Processing time: 398 Days and 22.2 Hours
Abstract

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 has brought serious challenges for the medical field. Patients with COVID-19 usually have respiratory symptoms. However, liver dysfunction is not an uncommon presentation. Additionally, the degree of liver dysfunction is associated with the severity and prognosis of COVID-19. Prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of malnutrition should be routinely recommended in the management of patients with COVID-19, especially in those with liver dysfunction. Recently, a large number of studies have reported that nutrition therapy measures, including natural dietary supplements, vitamins, minerals and trace elements, and probiotics, might have potential hepatoprotective effects against COVID-19-related liver dysfunction via their antioxidant, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, and positive immunomodulatory effects. This review mainly focuses on the possible relationship between COVID-19 and liver dysfunction, nutritional and metabolic characteristics, nutritional status assessment, and nutrition therapy to provide a reference for the nutritionists while making evidence-based nutritional decisions during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; Liver dysfunction; Nutritional status assessment; Nutrition therapy

Core Tip: Patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) usually have respiratory symptoms, but liver dysfunction is not an uncommon presentation. The degree of liver dysfunction is associated with COVID-19 severity and prognosis. Nutrition has played a critical therapeutic and prognostic role in the management of patients with COVID-19-related liver dysfunction. This review mainly focuses on the possible relationship between COVID-19 and liver dysfunction, nutritional and metabolic characteristics, nutritional status assessment, and nutrition therapy in patients with COVID-19 to provide a reference for the nutritionists while making evidence-based nutritional decisions in the era of COVID-19.