COVID-19 Pandemic: Insights into Interactions between SARS-CoV-2 Infection and MAFLD

Hanfei Chen; Qiang Chen

doi:10.7150/ijbs.72461

COVID-19 Pandemic: Insights into Interactions between SARS-CoV-2 Infection and MAFLD

Int J Biol Sci. 2022 Jul 11;18(12):4756-4767. doi: 10.7150/ijbs.72461. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Hanfei Chen^{1

2}, Qiang Chen^{1

2

3}

Affiliations

¹ Cancer Center, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Macau, Taipa, Macau SAR, China.
² Centre for Precision Medicine Research and Training, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Macau, Taipa, Macau SAR, China.
³ MOE Frontier Science Centre for Precision Oncology, University of Macau, Taipa, Macau SAR, China.

Abstract

COVID-19, caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has become an ongoing global health pandemic. Since 2019, the pandemic continues to cast a long shadow on all aspects of our lives, bringing huge health and economic burdens to all societies. With our in-depth understanding of COVID-19, from the initial respiratory tract to the later gastrointestinal tract and cardiovascular systems, the multiorgan involvement of this infectious disease has been discovered. Metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD), formerly named nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), is a major health issue closely related to metabolic dysfunctions, affecting a quarter of the world's adult population. The association of COVID-19 with MAFLD has received increasing attention, as MAFLD is a potential risk factor for SARS-CoV-2 infection and severe COVID-19 symptoms. In this review, we provide an update on the interactions between COVID-19 and MAFLD and its underlying mechanisms.

Keywords: COVID-19; Liver injury; MAFLD; NAFLD; SARS-CoV-2.

Publication types

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

MeSH terms

Adult
COVID-19*
Humans
Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease*
Pandemics
Risk Factors
SARS-CoV-2