Altered Liver Biochemistry and Mortality in Patients Hospitalized With COVID-19.

COVID-19 is an illness caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, a type of coronavirus initially identified in China in late 2019, emerging as the leading cause of death attributed to a single infectious agent worldwide. The COVID-19 pandemic poses a substantial challenge to global public health in the first quarter of this century. The rapid evolution of the pandemic and its intricate response have hindered the formulation of definitive conclusions, and it may take years to comprehend its long-term effects. Assessing the extent of organ damage beyond the lungs could guide physicians in the disease's severity or progression. Based on these characteristics, an earlier and more targeted approach can be initiated at the appropriate moment. The association between hepatic profile and mortality in COVID-19 patients is a subject of scientific interest, as SARS-CoV-2 infection can lead to hepatitis. In severe cases, it may induce sepsis-related liver injury, potentially culminating in hepatic failure. METHODOLOGY: The study's objective is to determine the prevalence of mortality in adult patients with elevated hepatic profile hospitalized due to SARS-CoV-2 infection. This cross-sectional, monocentric study was conducted at a healthcare institution in Bogotá, Colombia. RESULTS: This study includes 91 patients with confirmed diagnoses of COVID-19, revealing a prevalence of hepatic profile alterations in 61.5% (n=56) of hospitalized patients. The mortality rate observed is 17.6% (n= 16), with an odds ratio (OR) of 12.4 (95% CI = 1.56-99.0) in patients with hepatic profile alterations. CONCLUSIONS: This research underscores the importance of early detection of hepatic profile alterations in hospitalized patients with COVID-19. Not only are these alterations prevalent, but they are also potentially associated with an increased risk of mortality. These findings emphasize the necessity for further research to enhance strategies and prognostication for patients with COVID-19 in the future.

Stauffer Syndrome: Another Strange Case of the Internist's Tumor.

Stauffer syndrome is a paraneoplastic disorder associated with renal cell carcinoma (RCC), which often can be the first manifestation of the tumor. It is characterized by nephrogenic hepatic dysfunction that reverses after removing the primary tumor. Stauffer syndrome has been associated with a worse prognosis in patients with RCC. We are presenting a case of a patient with an uncommon cholestatic jaundice variant. The patient also had hepatic profile alterations, but no metastasis existed. These findings meet the diagnostic criteria for Stauffer syndrome in the context of RCC as the first clinical manifestation in the diagnostic approach to malignancy-associated disease. A 74-year-old patient, with a history of obesity, hypertension, and type 2 diabetes mellitus, went for advice due to right upper abdominal pain, icterus accompanied by emetic episodes, and a cholestatic pattern in the hepatic profile. Autoimmune hepatitis was ruled out based on immunological testing. Imaging revealed evidence of a mass in the lower pole of the right kidney, suspicious of malignant neoplasia, and a distant paraneoplastic syndrome consistent with the cholestatic variant of Stauffer syndrome. This is an exciting case of Stauffer syndrome as the initial presentation of RCC associated with a cholestatic variant, providing relevant information about this uncommon condition in our setting.