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Liver Update: WGO recommendations about autoimmune liver disease and COVID-19

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eMediNexus    15 June 2021

  • Follow-up of stable patients with autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) should be done with phone consultation or tele-health during the pandemic. 
  • Patients with AIH should be prioritized for SARS-CoV-2 testing when presenting with symptoms. 
  • It is not recommended to reduce immunosuppressive therapy in stable patients with AIH so as to avoid the risk of contracting infection. 
  • Nonetheless, if patients with COVID-19 develop lymphopenia, the doses of azathioprine or mycophenolate mofetil should be reduced.
  • Liver biopsy during the pandemic should be avoided in new patients presenting with features of AIH. However, starting empiric therapy is not advisable as it has been observed that corticosteroids could be harmful to patients with COVID-19. 
  • Moreover, if AIH patients on corticosteroids therapy develop COVID-19, high-doses of prednisone should be avoided.

Source: WGO GUIDANCE FOR PATIENTS WITH COVID-19 and LIVER DISEASE. Available at: https://www.worldgastroenterology.org/UserFiles/file/COVID19/WGO_200601_DACYKBNRDVLBMMCleanCOVID19andLiverDisease.pdf?utm_source=WGO%20Website&utm_medium=Website&utm_campaign=COVID19Informationwebpage_COVID19_Management_LiverDisease

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