P-106 COVID-19 PRESENTATION AND OUTCOMES IN 33 PATIENTS WITH AUTOIMMUNE HEPATITIS

Fadini Margon, Julia; Raddatz Reis Vilela, Monique; Damasio Moutinho, Bruna; Rodrigues de Figueiredo, Sabrina; Mitiko Deguti, Marta; Benedita Terrabuio, Débora Raquel; Rachid Cançado, Eduardo Luiz

doi:10.1016/j.aohep.2021.100466

ISSN: 1665-2681

Annals of Hepatology (AoH) is an international, open access journal published bi-monthly with funds from the Fundación Clínica Médica Sur. It is the official journal of the Mexican Association of Hepatology (AMH), the Latin American Association for the Study of the Liver (ALEH), the Canadian Association for the Study of the Liver (CASL) and the Czech Society of Hepatology (CSH). AoH publishes editorials, opinions, concise reviews, original articles, brief reports, letters to the editor, news from affiliated associations, clinical practice guidelines and summaries of congresses in the field of Hepatology.

Topics covered by AoH include alcoholic liver disease, autoimmune hepatitis, biliary diseases, drug-induced liver injury, genetic liver diseases, NAFLD/NASH and viral hepatitis (HAV, HBV, HCV, HDV, HEV). Our journal seeks to publish articles on basic clinical care and translational research focused on preventing rather than treating the complications of end-stage liver disease.

See more Open Access Option

Indexed in:

Scopus, Web of Science, Medline/PubMed, DOAJ and Conacyt

Clinical course of Covid-19 is not yet established in autoimmune hepatitis (AIH). About 25% of our 400 AIH-outpatients from various states in Brazil are using hydrochloroquine (HCQ) for maintenance or treatment with corticosteroids and immunosuppressants (IS). The aim is to describe the clinical features and outcomes of COVID-19 in patients with AIH.

Methods

The diagnosis of COVID was confirmed by positive PCR of nasal swab and/or by serological tests. The diagnosis and treatment of COVID was not always made in our service.

Results

33 patients, 85% female, 41±13yr; 88% AIH-1; 54.6% with advanced fibrosis (F3/F4); 81.8% with comorbidities (17 overweight/obesity [BMI 31.8±5.4], 10 arterial hypertension, 8 diabetes, 2 systemic lupus erythematosus [SLE, with renal failure], 1 celiac disease and malnutrition). The most frequent symptoms were cough (20), headache (19), anosmia and myalgia (18), diarrhea (17) and dyspnea (11). IS at infection was 14 azathioprine(AZA)+prednisone(PD), 2 AZA+PD+cyclosporine, 3 Mycophenolate+PD. HCQ was used for maintenance (6) or as a complement of IS (5). Five hospitalized patients received oxygen supplementation (1 endotracheal intubation); 1 was pregnant and 1 received methylprednisolone pulse+immunoglobulin to treat SLE immediately before COVID; 3 were under double IS and 2 HCQ. 23 received antibiotics (19 azithromycin). In 10 patients (9 with normal liver enzymes before COVID) there were IS adjustments: IS withdrawal and increase of PD dosage (6), increase PD dosage (2), IS withdrawal and HCQ prescription (1), AZA withdrawal+decrease PD dose (1). Six of the 10 patients had slight increase of liver enzymes, none liver decompensation. One patient died, with celiac disease who acquired COVID during hospitalization for lymphoma investigation.

Conclusions

It appears that patients under IS for AIH and COVID-19 show outcomes similar to that of non-immunosuppressed population. HCQ does not appear to have a positive impact on preventing or progressing the disease.

Full text is only aviable in PDF

Download PDF

Indexed in:

Follow us:

Subscribe to our newsletter