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ABSTRACT: Background and aims
Data regarding outcome of COVID-19 in patients with autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) are lacking.Approach and results
We performed a retrospective study on patients with AIH and COVID-19 from 34 centers in Europe and the Americas. We analyzed factors associated with severe COVID-19 outcomes, defined as the need for mechanical ventilation, intensive care admission, and/or death. The outcomes of patients with AIH were compared to a propensity score-matched cohort of patients without AIH but with chronic liver diseases (CLD) and COVID-19. The frequency and clinical significance of new-onset liver injury (alanine aminotransferase > 2 × the upper limit of normal) during COVID-19 was also evaluated. We included 110 patients with AIH (80% female) with a median age of 49 (range, 18-85) years at COVID-19 diagnosis. New-onset liver injury was observed in 37.1% (33/89) of the patients. Use of antivirals was associated with liver injury (P = 0.041; OR, 3.36; 95% CI, 1.05-10.78), while continued immunosuppression during COVID-19 was associated with a lower rate of liver injury (P = 0.009; OR, 0.26; 95% CI, 0.09-0.71). The rates of severe COVID-19 (15.5% versus 20.2%, P = 0.231) and all-cause mortality (10% versus 11.5%, P = 0.852) were not different between AIH and non-AIH CLD. Cirrhosis was an independent predictor of severe COVID-19 in patients with AIH (P < 0.001; OR, 17.46; 95% CI, 4.22-72.13). Continuation of immunosuppression or presence of liver injury during COVID-19 was not associated with severe COVID-19.Conclusions
This international, multicenter study reveals that patients with AIH were not at risk for worse outcomes with COVID-19 than other causes of CLD. Cirrhosis was the strongest predictor for severe COVID-19 in patients with AIH. Maintenance of immunosuppression during COVID-19 was not associated with increased risk for severe COVID-19 but did lower the risk for new-onset liver injury during COVID-19.
SUBMITTER: Efe C
PROVIDER: S-EPMC8250536 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jun
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Efe Cumali C Dhanasekaran Renumathy R Lammert Craig C Ebik Berat B Higuera-de la Tijera Fatima F Aloman Costica C Rıza Calışkan Ali A Peralta Mirta M Gerussi Alessio A Massoumi Hatef H Catana Andreea M AM Torgutalp Murat M Purnak Tugrul T Rigamonti Cristina C Gomez Aldana Andres Jose AJ Khakoo Nidah N Kacmaz Hüseyin H Nazal Leyla L Frager Shalom S Demir Nurhan N Irak Kader K Ellik Zeynep Melekoğlu ZM Balaban Yasemin Y Atay Kadri K Eren Fatih F Cristoferi Laura L Batıbay Ersin E Urzua Álvaro Á Snijders Romee R Kıyıcı Murat M Akyıldız Murat M Ekin Nazım N Carr Rotonya M RM Harputluoğlu Murat M Hatemi Ibrahim I Mendizabal Manuel M Silva Marcelo M Idilman Ramazan R Silveira Marina M Drenth Joost P H JPH Assis David N DN Björnsson Einar E Boyer James L JL Invernizzi Pietro P Levy Chyntia C Schiano Thomas D TD Ridruejo Ezequiel E Wahlin Staffan S
Hepatology (Baltimore, Md.) 20210601 6
<h4>Background and aims</h4>Data regarding outcome of COVID-19 in patients with autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) are lacking.<h4>Approach and results</h4>We performed a retrospective study on patients with AIH and COVID-19 from 34 centers in Europe and the Americas. We analyzed factors associated with severe COVID-19 outcomes, defined as the need for mechanical ventilation, intensive care admission, and/or death. The outcomes of patients with AIH were compared to a propensity score-matched cohort of p ...[more]