Mumbai: COVID-19 can have a significant impact on liver besides respiratory and other vital systems, a study by a civic-run hospital here has shown. The study by the Gastroenterology department of BYL Nair Hospital, which was among the main hospitals earmarked for treating coronavirus patients in the city, found that almost half the participants had developed liver abnormalities. The report was recently published in the Indian Journal of Medical Research, a publication of the Indian Council of Medical Research.
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As many as 46 per cent of patients (who took part in the study) had liver abnormalities caused by coronavirus, overuse of experimental and potentially dangerous drugs early in the pandemic and critically low oxygen levels, it said.
Dr Pravin Rathi, gastroenterologist and dean of Nair Hospital said,
The study findings have underlined that the liver also took a huge hit due to COVID-19, like the lungs and heart.
Dr Sanjay Chandnani, a gastroenterologist and assistant professor at the hospital, told PTI that of 3,280 patients admitted in their COVID-19 center, around 1,500 patients above 18 years of age were examined during the study.
COVID-19 was known to affect respiratory, gastrointestinal, cardiovascular and other systems, but there were very few studies describing liver involvement and liver function test (LFT) abnormalities, he said.
The study at Nair Hospital revealed that as the severity of COVID-19 infection increases, liver function abnormalities worsen, and such patients are more likely to develop a severe disease.
The report read,
In COVID-19, LFT abnormalities were common, and derangement increased as severity progressed. The presence of deranged LFT worsens the clinical outcome and predicts high risk of deaths in hospitalised patients.
“The cause of derangement is multifactorial. It could be due to virus itself, multiple drugs, complimentary and ayurvedic medications, low oxygen levels and any pre-existing liver disease,” Dr Chandnani said.
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NDTV – Dettol have been working towards a clean and healthy India since 2014 via the Banega Swachh India initiative, which is helmed by Campaign Ambassador Amitabh Bachchan. The campaign aims to highlight the inter-dependency of humans and the environment, and of humans on one another with the focus on One Health, One Planet, One Future – Leaving No One Behind. It stresses on the need to take care of, and consider, everyone’s health in India – especially vulnerable communities – the LGBTQ population, indigenous people, India’s different tribes, ethnic and linguistic minorities, people with disabilities, migrants, geographically remote populations, gender and sexual minorities. In wake of the current COVID-19 pandemic, the need for WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) is reaffirmed as handwashing is one of the ways to prevent Coronavirus infection and other diseases. The campaign will continue to raise awareness on the same along with focussing on the importance of nutrition and healthcare for women and children, fight malnutrition, mental wellbeing, self care, science and health, adolescent health & gender awareness. Along with the health of people, the campaign has realised the need to also take care of the health of the eco-system. Our environment is fragile due to human activity, which is not only over-exploiting available resources, but also generating immense pollution as a result of using and extracting those resources. The imbalance has also led to immense biodiversity loss that has caused one of the biggest threats to human survival – climate change. It has now been described as a “code red for humanity.” The campaign will continue to cover issues like air pollution, waste management, plastic ban, manual scavenging and sanitation workers and menstrual hygiene. Banega Swasth India will also be taking forward the dream of Swasth Bharat, the campaign feels that only a Swachh or clean India where toilets are used and open defecation free (ODF) status achieved as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014, can eradicate diseases like diahorrea and the country can become a Swasth or healthy India.
