Vishwajit Kode, MD; Joseph Puetz, MD; Abrahim N. Razzak, BS; Pinky Jha, MD
WMJ. 2023;122(5):372-376
ABSTRACT
Introduction: With cholangiopathy, the bile ducts become inflamed and have a “beads on string appearance” with elevated bilirubin. It is typically associated with primary sclerosing cholangitis but is now being reported as a post-COVID complication.
Case Presentation: A 65-year-old White male presented with resolved respiratory failure from COVID-19 pneumonia, jaundice, and likely subacute kidney injury. He was diagnosed with COVID-19 cholangiopathy due to clinical picture and magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography imaging. Unfortunately, due to a massive refractory gastrointestinal bleed, he was transitioned to hospice care.
Discussion: COVID-19 has been shown to have both short- and long-term effects on multiple organ systems. Cholangiopathy is a rare complication of COVID-19. Most of these cases result in severe liver failure and require liver transplant, similar to primary sclerosing cholangitis.
Conclusions: We report this case to increase awareness among clinicians to consider COVID-19 cholangiopathy in patients with unexplained jaundice and a history of severe COVID-19 infection.