Autoimmune sclerosing cholangitis might be triggered by SARS-CoV-2 infection in a child – a case report

Abstract

The spectrum of liver involvement during coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is broad and mainly includes elevated liver enzymes and cholestasis. Severe acute respiratory syndrome corona- virus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection most often leads to a transient moderate increase in liver enzymes that is not accompanied by disturbances in the synthetic function of the liver. However, there is increasing evidence that SARS-CoV-2 infection is associated with the development of autoimmune disorders. The pathogenesis of autoimmune hepatobiliary diseases is not fully understood, taking into account genetic and environmental factors such as viral infections. We present a pediatric case of autoimmune sclerosing cholangitis (ASC), which was diagnosed 2 months after SARS-CoV-2 infection. To the best of our knowledge, ASC potentially triggered by COVID-19 has not been reported in pediatric patients. Further studies are needed to describe the clinical impact of the development of autoimmune liver diseases potentially associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection in pediatric patients. Our observations indicate that children with liver injury potentially caused by COVID-19 require long-term monitoring of liver function parameters.