Impacto del COVID-19 en las enfermedades hepáticas y la salud pública en el Perú

The pandemic of COVID-19 (an infectious disease caused by the SARS-CoV2 virus), declared as such by the WHO, is spreading since its appearance in Wuhan (China) in December 2019, rapidly and unexpectedly throughout the world, causing millions of cases and thousands of deaths and has affected more than 120 countries. It was officially acknowledged in Peru on March 6th, 2020, and has spread rapidly throughout the country, causing first the crisis and then the collapse of the healthcare system, especially emergency care, admissions, and overcrowded intensive care units, not having a specific treatment or the foreseeable possibility of a short-term vaccine. COVID-19 is currently known for being a systemic disease that can affect multiple organs and tissues and can be fatal. The goal of this review is to present what has been described in recent studies, published worldwide and including our country, that have reported clinical manifestations, outlining possible mechanisms of liver dysfunction related to COVID-19 and its repercussions, especially on the digestive system. These studies analyze and discuss the potential impact on liver diseases, offering recommendations of experts and scientific organizations regarding prevention, control and management measures, outlining also some public health strategies in our country for the proper care of COVID-19 patients in times of widespread crisis.