To assess the impact of liver function test (LFT) abnormalities on the prognosis of patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in a French cohort of hospitalized patients.

From March 13 to April 22, 2020, we collected on a computerized and anonymized database, medical records, laboratory data and clinical outcomes of patients hospitalized for confirmed cases of COVID-19 infection (RT–PCR and/or CT-scan). Patients were followed up until April 22, 2020 or until death or discharge. We have considered for statistical analysis, LFT abnormalities with levels greater than two times the upper limit of normal. Composite endpoint included admission to ICU, mechanical ventilation, severe radiologic injury and death to define disease severity.

Among 281 patients (median age 60 years) with COVID-19, 102 (36.3%) had abnormal LFT. Hypertension (45.6%) and diabetes (29.5%) were the main comorbidities. 20.2% were taken liver-toxic drugs at the admission and 27.4% were given drugs known to induce hepatic cytolysis during hospitalization. Patients with elevated levels of ALT or AST were significantly more severe with a higher rate of admission to ICU (40.0% vs 6.0%, p< 0.0001), and global mortality (26.7% vs 12.1%, p= 0.03). In multivariate analysis, obesity and cytolytic profil were associated with the composite endpoint (respectively 2.37 [1.21; 4.64], p= 0.01 and OR 6.20, 95% confidence interval [1.84, 20.95], p-value 0.003)

Most of liver injuries are mild and transient during COVID-19. LFT abnormalities are associated with a poorer prognosis and could be a relevant biomarker for early detection of severe infection.