Can the gastrointestinal system alter liver damage caused by COVID-19?

Year 2024, Volume: 41 Issue: 2, 397 - 406, 19.05.2024

Kayhan Özkan , Şerif Demir

Abstract

Our gastrointestinal system, often referred to as our "second brain," is grappling with the devastating effects of COVID-19, a disease that has plagued recent years. Researchers are investigating how bacteria in the intestinal microflora may contribute to or mitigate liver damage caused by COVID-19. Despite the limited number of studies, the fight against liver organ damage by the gastrointestinal system, which is our second brain is important. All original articles published in English until March 01, 2020, were retrieved via a library-assisted literature search from PubMed/MEDLINE, Excerpta Medica Database (EMBASE), and Web of Science. A total of nine articles (2.188 patients) were found eligible for inclusion. Effect size and 95% confidence interval were evaluated in this study. The randomized trials exhibit a noteworthy level of heterogeneity (p<0.05), and upon scrutinizing the funnel plot, there is no discernible indication of publication bias. According to the meta-analysis tree graph, the weights of the studies are significantly to the right of the 2 vertical lines. The confidence interval of each study has significant weights. According to the study findings, the interaction of the intestinal flora and the immune system showed us that there is an area that we need to investigate against the COVID-19 disease. For many years, research has tried to explain how the signaling pathways in the intestinal tract are related to the brain. The study revealed that our digestive system plays a crucial role as an auxiliary component of our brain. Future studies should uncover the main ways of this communication.

Keywords

Second brain, Gut brain axis, COVID-19 and microbiome, COVID-19 liver effect

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