A study presented at the Radiological Society of North America league has receive signal of liver injury in patients , month after going through aCOVID-19infection . The studyadds to evidenceof SARS - CoV-2 infecting and damaging the organ .

The retrospective study , which has not yet been compeer - reviewed , attend at patient data going back three year , using ultrasound shear wave elastography scans that took shoes at Massachusetts General Hospital between 2019 and 2022 . This peculiar CAT scan uses sound moving ridge to measure the stiffness of tissue , allow them to measure a patient ’s liver awkwardness . Liver severity is a marker of liver damage such as fibrosis ( establish - up of scar tissue ) and inflammation .

The team compared patients who had tested overconfident for COVID-19 at least 12 week prior to their scan to see groups of masses who had tested only test negative for COVID-19 and patients who underwent their scans prior to the pandemic . Controlling for factors such as geezerhood and sex , the squad found that patient in the positive COVID-19 group had statistically significant higher levels of liver rigourousness than those who had only examine negative for the disease .

the great unwashed who had had COVID-19 as confirmed by a test had a medial liver stiffness of 7.68 kilopascals ( kPa ) compare with the pandemic control radical of 5.99 kPa . Unexpectedly , patients in the pre - pandemic controller group had a high medial rigourousness than the pandemic control , at 7.01 kPa . While the reason for this is not yet to the full understand , the squad suspect that it may be due to a change in radiation diagram of referral forultrasound shear wave elastography scans during the pandemic .

“ We do n’t yet know if exalted liver stiffness observed after COVID-19 infection will lead to adverse patient effect , ” study Colorado - source Dr   Firouzeh Heidarisaid in a pressure release . The team has since moved on to assay to find out .

“ We are presently investigating whether the severity of acute COVID - refer symptoms is prognosticative of long - term liver injury severity , " Heidari said .

" We hope to enrich our existing database with additional patient data and a broader scope of carbon monoxide - variates to better translate the post - penetrating effects of COVID-19 within the liver . ”

The findings were presented at the annual meeting of theRadiological Society of North America .