Impact of COVID-19 on the liver and on the care of patients with chronic liver disease, hepatobiliary cancer, and liver transplantation: An updated EASL position paper

Thomas Marjot; Christiane S Eberhardt; Tobias Boettler; Luca S Belli; Marina Berenguer; Maria Buti; Rajiv Jalan; Mario U Mondelli; Richard Moreau; Daniel Shouval; Thomas Berg; Markus Cornberg

doi:10.1016/j.jhep.2022.07.008

Impact of COVID-19 on the liver and on the care of patients with chronic liver disease, hepatobiliary cancer, and liver transplantation: An updated EASL position paper

J Hepatol. 2022 Oct;77(4):1161-1197. doi: 10.1016/j.jhep.2022.07.008. Epub 2022 Jul 20.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Oxford Liver Unit, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, UK; Nuffield Department of Medicine, Translational Gastroenterology Unit, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
² Center for Vaccinology and Neonatal Immunology, Department of Pathology and Immunology, University of Geneva, Switzerland; Division of General Pediatrics, Department of Woman, Child and Adolescent Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Center for Vaccinology, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland.
³ Department of Medicine II, Medical Center - University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.
⁴ Department of Hepatology and Gastroenterology, GOM Niguarda, Milan, Italy.
⁵ Liver Transplantation and Hepatology Unit and Ciberehd, IISLaFe and Hospital Universitario y Politécnico La Fe, Valencia, Spain; Department of Medicine, Universitat de València, Valencia, Spain.
⁶ Liver Unit, Hospital Universitario Valle Hebron, Barcelona, and CIBEREHD del Instituto Carlos II, Spain.
⁷ Liver Failure Group, Institute for Liver and Digestive Health, University College London, Royal Free Campus, London and European Foundation for the Study of Chronic Liver Failure, Barcelona.
⁸ Division of Clinical Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo and Department of Internal Medicine and Therapeutics, University of Pavia, Italy.
⁹ European Foundation for the Study of Chronic Liver Failure, Barcelona, Spain; Service d'Hépatologie, Hôpital Beaujon, APHP, Clichy, France; Centre de Recherche sur l'Inflammation, INSERM and Université de Paris Cité, Paris, France.
¹⁰ Liver Unit, Hadassah-Hebrew University Hospital, Jerusalem, Israel.
¹¹ Division of Hepatology, Department of Medicine II, Leipzig University Medical Center, Leipzig, Germany.
¹² Centre for Individualised Infection Medicine (CiiM), a joint venture between the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI) and Hannover Medical School (MHH), Hannover, Germany; Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Endocrinology, Hannover Medical School (MHH), Hannover, Germany; German Centre for Infection Research (DZIF), Partner Site Hannover-Braunschweig, Germany. Electronic address: cornberg.markus@mh-hannover.de.

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has presented a serious challenge to the hepatology community, particularly healthcare professionals and patients. While the rapid development of safe and effective vaccines and treatments has improved the clinical landscape, the emergence of the omicron variant has presented new challenges. Thus, it is timely that the European Association for the Study of the Liver provides a summary of the latest data on the impact of COVID-19 on the liver and issues guidance on the care of patients with chronic liver disease, hepatobiliary cancer, and previous liver transplantation, as the world continues to deal with the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; chronic liver disease; cirrhosis; hepatobiliary cancer; liver transplantation; vaccination.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

COVID-19*
Humans
Liver Diseases* / epidemiology
Liver Diseases* / surgery
Liver Transplantation*
Neoplasms*
Pandemics
SARS-CoV-2

Supplementary concepts

SARS-CoV-2 variants

Grants and funding

102176/B/13/Z/WT_/Wellcome Trust/United Kingdom