Background: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus–2 (SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19) is primarily a respiratory tract infection which can also affect gastrointestinal system and liver. Remdesivir is being used for the treatment of COVID infection, but its adverse effect on liver is not clear. This study was conducted to understand the prevalence and severity of remdesivir induced hepatotoxicity in remdesivir treated patients.
Material and Methods: It was a retrospective case control study which was conducted over 150 COVID-19 infected patients at a tertiary care center. Liver function tests were compared in remdesivir treated and non remdesivir treated patients.
Results: Out of 150 patients, 75 patients received remdesivir and 75 patients received
supportive care. Median values for serum alanine transaminase (ALT) and aspartate
transaminase (AST) values were significantly higher in the remdesivir treated group (P-value <0.001 for both ALT and AST). Grade-2 elevations of ALT and AST values were significantly higher among the remdesivir treated group.
Conclusion: Liver injury can occur in COVID-19 infection. Remdesivir is one of the most
recognized cause of hepatotoxity in these patients. Monitoring of liver function test is
mandatory for remdesivir treated COVID patients.
Impact Factor
2022: 6.012
This work is licensed under a