Investigating the Impact of COVID-19 Vaccines on Liver Function: Insights From a Single-Institute Study

Rajmohan Rammohan; Melvin Joy; Tulika Saggar; Sai Greeshma Magam; Atul Sinha; Dilman Natt; Vaishali Mehta; Susan Bunting; Prachi Anand; Paul Mustacchia

doi:10.7759/cureus.36588

Investigating the Impact of COVID-19 Vaccines on Liver Function: Insights From a Single-Institute Study

Cureus. 2023 Mar 23;15(3):e36588. doi: 10.7759/cureus.36588. eCollection 2023 Mar.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Nassau University Medical Center, East Meadow, USA.
² Internal Medicine, Nassau University Medical Center, East Meadow, USA.
³ Pulmonary and Critical Care, Nassau University Medical Center, East Meadow, USA.
⁴ Rheumatology, Nassau University Medical Center, East Meadow, USA.

Abstract

Introduction SARS-CoV-2 can cause respiratory and extrapulmonary complications, including liver injury. Therefore, understanding the virus's impact on the liver and the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine's protective effect is crucial, given the correlation between hepatic involvement and disease severity. Our study aims to evaluate this relationship and the impact of vaccination on liver injury in COVID-19-infected patients. Methods A retrospective cohort study analyzed liver function outcomes in COVID-19-infected patients who received two doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna mRNA vaccine from October 2019 to October 2021. The study population was matched based on baseline characteristics, and Fisher's T-test was used for analysis. Secondary outcomes included COVID-19-related death, hospital stay, and SARS-CoV-2 infection after the second dose. SPSS (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY) and RStudio (RStudio, PBC, Boston, USA) software were utilized to ensure robust statistical analysis. Results A group of 78 patients with a propensity score were matched and analyzed, resulting in two groups of 39 patients each: vaccinated and unvaccinated. The vaccinated group had a lower incidence of liver injury, reduced length of stay, and mortality. The study suggests that COVID-19 vaccination can positively impact infected patients. These findings should be considered when making decisions about vaccine distribution and usage, and more research is needed to fully understand the vaccine's impact on ending the pandemic. Conclusion This study emphasizes the COVID-19 vaccine's significance in reducing liver injury and related outcomes, such as length of stay and mortality in infected patients. The results provide further evidence of vaccination benefits, with implications for healthcare professionals and policymakers. Further research is needed to deepen our understanding of COVID-19's complex effects on the liver and the vaccine's impact. Investing in research can inform clinical management, improve patient outcomes, and ultimately help end the pandemic.

Keywords: coronavirus disease 2019; covid 19; covid-19; covid-19 vaccine; elevated liver enzyme; liver damage; liver function.