MATERIAL AND METHODS
In this multicentric retrospective study, adult patients (≥18 years of
age) with confirmed COVID‐19 who were hospitalized for the treatment
were enrolled. The study was approved by the local ethics committee of
Lokman Hekim University with the number of 2021/065. Informed consent
was obtained from all of the patients.
Diagnosis of COVID‐19 was assessed by using nasopharyngeal swap reverse
transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (Real-Time PCR) according to WHO
guideline 10. Patients were treated in line with the
recommendations of Turkey’s Health Ministry COVID-19 adult patient
treatment guidelines 11. Demographic features,
complete medical history, and laboratory findings of the study
participants at admission are obtained from the hospital records. The
laboratory data including hemoglobin level, white blood cell count,
neutrophil and lymphocyte counts, ALT, AST, GGT, and ALP levels, serum
creatinine level, concentrations of D-dimer, and C-reactive protein
(CRP) levels were recorded. All data were obtained at the admission of
the patients before treatment.
Patients with missing data, having any known chronic hepatobiliary
diseases, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, patients with alcohol
abuse, hepatobiliary malignancies and receiving drugs known to have
cholestatic effects other than those used in COVID-19 management,
end-stage renal disease and patients on hemodialysis were excluded from
the study. 483 patients were evaluated and it was decided to include 269
patients due to strict exclusion criteria.
Patients were grouped regarding their ICU requirements during their
hospitalization periods. Moreover, the outcomes of the patients at the
end of the treatment were also recorded. Patients whose treatment or
hospitalization periods were continuing during the data collection were
not included in the study.