Covid and liver pain

[ToughToes]

Hello Everyone,

Does anybody know if having covid puts added stress on the liver? I ask because I've recently had covid with fairly mild symptoms and towards the end of my recovery back to normal, one day I felt some discomfort on the right side around the bottom of my rib cage. I have mild fatty liver, stage 1. It's been unchanged for the last few years. I haven't had more than a couple of beers in weeks, not because ive been told i shouldn't by my doctor or anything, just because i haven't really felt like it. Recent (mid-August) ultrasound and liver enzyme tests were all normal. Does this sound like covid may have caused issues with the liver? Or could it be something as simple as trapped gas or some other kind of digestive issue?

Thanks in advance,

Terry

[ToughToes]

I can't possibly be the only person here who's had covid? Lol

[Ewife in reply to ToughToes]

Lol. First time my husband had Covid be was already decompensated so thats why i didnt respond. His bilirubin spiked because any virus or infection makes the liver work harder, but it was only concerning because his body was already under strain and numbers already seriously deranged. Give your liver some tlc for a bit - obviously stay off alcohol and try and eat healthily with as much unprocessed food as possible etc.

Take care

[Ubwa]

Its not a specific antagonist to the liver but any illness will put added stress on your liver, and the more it affects you systemically the more stress, but other things will tend to go first usually.

For myself, I got covid shortly after I was diagnosed with cirrhosis and it didn't make my liver any worse. But have read of the opposite.

[ToughToes in reply to Ubwa]

Thanks Ubea.

[Yellowsydney]

Did you take any medication for covid, paracetamol, ibuprofen as these can cause liver issues

[ToughToes in reply to Yellowsydney]

No. I didn't take either of those. I didn't need to,as the symptoms were quite mild.

[Michegou]

sciencedirect.com/science/a... seems a pretty comprehensive study on the effects of Covid in the liver and other organs.

[Readlots]

or there’s this article in Gut: gut.bmj.com/content/72/9/1783. Lots of things can affect your liver but it could also be something totally different so talk to your GP if you’re worried.

[NieceByMarriage]

I don't know if it does - but I contracted Covid while taking antivirals for Hep C and my liver team sent me to have a monoclonal antibody infusion to ward off any worsening of the Covid. So they must have had some level of concern. However I was dealing with a virus already, given the Hep C, so maybe they did not want me getting another one on top? I didn't notice any worsening of discomfort around the liver.

[ToughToes in reply to NieceByMarriage]

Ok, thanks.

[Roy1955]

Coughs and sneezes, aches and pains all over, all symptoms of a viral infection and normal.