1. Inflammasome-Driven Fatal Acute-on-Chronic Liver Failure Triggered by Mild COVID-19.
- Author
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Chen, Vivian Chih-Wei, Joseph, Craig Ryan, Chan, Wharton O. Y., Sia, Wan Rong, Su, Qi, Sam, Xin Xiu, Tamilarasan, Hemavathi, Mah, Yun Yan, Ng, Wei Lun, Yeong, Joe, Wang, Lin-Fa, Krishnamoorthy, Thinesh L., Leow, Wei-Qiang, Ahn, Matae, and Chow, Wan Cheng
- Subjects
AUTOIMMUNE hepatitis ,LIVER failure ,VIRUS diseases ,LIVER diseases ,COVID-19 - Abstract
Inflammasome is linked to many inflammatory diseases, including COVID-19 and autoimmune liver diseases. While severe COVID-19 was reported to exacerbate liver failure, we report a fatal acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) in a stable primary biliary cholangitis-autoimmune hepatitis overlap syndrome patient triggered by a mild COVID-19 infection. Postmortem liver biopsy showed sparse SARS-CoV-2-infected macrophages with extensive ASC (apoptosis-associated speck-like protein containing a CARD) speck-positive hepatocytes, correlating with elevated circulating ASC specks and inflammatory cytokines, and depleted blood monocyte subsets, indicating widespread liver inflammasome activation. This first report of a fatal inflammatory cascade in an autoimmune liver disease triggered by a mild remote viral infection hopes to elucidate a less-described pathophysiology of ACLF that could prompt consideration of new diagnostic and therapeutic options. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2024
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