Background

The pandemic of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has significantly impacted global public health and presented diverse clinical symptoms. Liver involvement in COVID-19 is notable, affecting a significant proportion of patients.

Methods

A retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted at Sohag University Hospital. A comparative analysis between CLD patients with and without COVID-19. The study employed logistic regression and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis to explore predictors of COVID-19 severity in CLD patients.

Results

272 participants were included: 66 in the control group and 206 with varying COVID-19 severity. White blood cell count (WBC) was notably higher in severe cases compared to mild ,moderate and the control group . Absolute lymphocytic count also displayed significant differences, with the control group having higher values (2.25 ± 0.73) compared to mild (1.9 ± 0.86), moderate (1.27 ± 0.52), and severe cases (1.3 ± 0.78). Furthermore, C-reactive protein (CRP) varied significantly, with the highest levels in severe cases (92.9 ± 46), followed by moderate cases (46.7 ± 40.2), mild cases (13.49 ± 19.5), and the control group (5.6 ± 1.9). Elevated CRP (P = 0.001) with a sensitivity of 98%, D-dimer (P = 0.008) with a sensitivity of 95.7%, ESR (P = 0.008) with a sensitivity of 78.7%, and LDH (P = 0.013) with a sensitivity of 72.3% were significantly associated and predicted increased COVID-19 severity.

Conclusion

This research enhances understanding of COVID-19's impact on individuals with CLD, highlighting the significance of CRP, D-dimer, ESR, and LDH as a predictors of severity.