Medscape: Mild Liver Enzyme Increases Seen in COVID-19 Patients in China

UC digestive diseases expert discusses COVID-19's impact on the liver

Close to 30% of COVID-19 patients presented with mildly elevated liver enzymes in a retrospective study in China. Enzyme levels did not rise significantly during hospitalization and no patients experienced liver failure, however. Kenneth Sherman, MD, PhD, Director of the UC Division of Digestive Diseases and UC Health physician, spoke with journalist Marilynn Larkin about possible liver damage associated with SARS-CoV-2 and how pre-existing liver disease could make individuals more susceptible to infection leading to COVID-19.

Read the entire interview online.

Learn more about Sherman's COVID-19 research.

Featured image at top: Kenneth Sherman, MD, PhD, shown in the UC College of Medicine. Photo/Colleen Kelley/UC Creative + Brand.

Next Lives Here

The University of Cincinnati is classified as a Research 1 institution by the Carnegie Commission and is ranked in the National Science Foundation's Top-35 public research universities. UC's graduate students and faculty investigate problems and innovate solutions with real-world impact. Next Lives Here.

Related Stories

1

Simple ways to find a deeper sense of happiness and well being

October 8, 2026

UC assistant professor Suzie White, featured in an AARP story on practical ways to live a happier, healthier life, shared research-backed strategies for increasing well-being through gratitude and service to others. White teaches Happiness in Action, a course that helps students apply the science of happiness in everyday life.

2

New vending machine helps people with addiction

October 8, 2026

The University of Cincinnati's Daniel Arendt was featured in a Spectrum News report on a new harm reduction vending machine installed at the IPM Food Pantry in partnership with the Hamilton County Mental Health and Recovery Services Board.