A STUDY jointly led by Oxford's John Radcliffe Hospital has found patients with liver disease are more likely to die from coronavirus.

The researchers, led by teams at Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (OUH) and the University of North Carolina, set up an international registry to collect details of patients with chronic liver disease and cirrhosis who develop Covid-19.

Between March 25 and April 20, 152 cases were submitted to the registry, with more than 95 per cent of those added hospitalised.

Patients with cirrhosis, a condition in which the liver does not function properly due to long-term damage, had poor outcomes with an overall death rate of 40 per cent.

Those with advanced disease called 'decompensated cirrhosis' had the highest rate of death at between 43 and 63 per cent, compared with 12 per cent for patients with liver disease but without cirrhosis.

Dr Thomas Marjot, project lead alongside Dr Gwilym Webb and Professor Ellie Barnes at the Translational Gastroenterology Unit at the John Radcliffe, said: "Until now, very little was known about the impact of Covid-19 on patients with pre-existing liver disease.

"Our data, which were gathered from 21 countries, show that people with liver disease, and especially those with decompensated cirrhosis, have particularly poor outcomes once they develop Covid-19."

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He added: "Even when other risk factors for poor outcomes - such as age, obesity, diabetes and high blood pressure - were taken into account, the severity of baseline liver disease was still associated with increased mortality."

However, Dr Marjot said these preliminary findings should be interpreted with caution, explaining: "Our study is limited by selection bias; this is when doctors tend to report more severe cases with the worst outcomes.

"Many patients with cirrhosis and Covid-19 who have good outcomes will therefore not be included in the registry.

"Nonetheless, these findings do suggest high death rates with Covid-19 in patients with cirrhosis and that contracting the virus may lead to a deterioration in liver function. "Therefore, anyone coming into hospital with worsening symptoms of liver disease should be considered for coronavirus testing."

Pamela Healy, Chief Executive of the British Liver Trust said: "This important study demonstrates the devastating impact of coronavirus on liver patients.

"We are asking the Government to quickly review the shielding guidance and ensure that those with the most severe forms of liver disease have clear advice and support.

"Whilst lockdown may be easing for many of us, these patients often have multiple complex problems and urgently need clarity and to remain protected."