Methods
This was a retrospective cohort study conducted at the Sharee Zedek Medical Center (SZMC) University Hospital located in Jerusalem, Israel. We reviewed the hospital records of all consecutive adult patients hospitalized over a four-month span (March 2019 to June 2019) at SZMC. Included were adult patients (≥ 18 years) hospitalized for COVID-19 infection for whom the baseline liver function tests up to one year prior to the admission were available. Subjects who were less than 18 years of age and medical personnel or for whom the baseline liver function tests were not available were excluded. The study cohort included patients hospitalized in the specialized COVID-19 hospitalized wards and COVID-19 specialized intensive care unit. The diagnosis of COVID-19 infection was based on positive PCR nasopharyngeal swab specimen tested for SARS-CoV-2.
The current study received ethical approval from the local hospital ethical committee and was conducted according to the Helsinki declaration and its subsequent amendments. Data were coded in order to preserve the anonymity of the patients. Informed consent was waived because of the non-interventional study design.