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
Sugar overload killing hearts
November 10, 2025
Two in five people will be told they have diabetes during their lifetime. And people who have diabetes are twice as likely to develop heart disease. One of the deadliest dangers? Diabetic cardiomyopathy. But groundbreaking University of Cincinnati research hopes to stop and even reverse the damage before it’s too late.
Is going nuclear the solution to Ohio’s energy costs?
November 10, 2025
The Ohio Capital Journal recently reported that as energy prices continue to climb, economists are weighing the benefits of going nuclear to curb costs. The publication dove into a Scioto Analysis survey of 18 economists to weigh the pros and cons of nuclear energy. One economist featured was Iryna Topolyan, PhD, professor of economics at the Carl H. Lindner College of Business.
App turns smartwatch into detector of structural heart disease
November 10, 2025
An app that uses an AI model to read a single-lead ECG from a smartwatch can detect structural heart disease, researchers reported at the 2025 Scientific Sessions of the American Heart Association. Although the technology requires further validation, researchers said it could help improve the identification of patients with heart failure, valvular conditions and left ventricular hypertrophy before they become symptomatic, which could improve the prognosis for people with these conditions.