A study of acute kidney injury in COVID-19

Background: Severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 responsible for the pandemic of COVID-19 has been one of the biggest challenges faced by humankind. The virus predominantly affects the respiratory system. However, the continued study of the disease since the beginning of this pandemic has evolved our understanding of COVID-19 which showed varied presentations with multisystem involvement, leading to acute myocardial infarction, stroke, pulmonary embolism due to its prothrombotic nature as well as acute kidney injury (AKI). Objectives: (1) To determine the incidence of AKI in COVID-19 (2) To correlate AKI with the outcome of the COVID-19 patients. Materials and Methods: The present study involves 200 patients who were suffering from COVID-19 admitted to a hospital in Bengaluru during the period of June 2020–May 2021, fulfilling the inclusion criteria were analyzed and appropriate data were collected after obtaining informed consent. Results: Majority of the subjects belonged to >50 years of age group. Among the recruited subjects, 117 (58.5%) were male and 83 (41.5%) were female, 170 patients were discharged and 30 patients died. The mean urea levels were 37.82 ± 23.68 mg/dl and mean creatinine values were 0.95 ± 0.85 mg/dl. The urea levels among the COVID-19 patients who were discharged was 35.98 ± 20.27 mg/dl and among those who died was 52.22 ± 38.01 mg/dl, respectively, and this was statistically significant (P = 0.00). The creatinine levels were 0.88 ± 0.44 mg/dl and 1.32 ± 1.76 mg/dl among the COVID-19 patients who got discharged and expired, respectively, and this too was statistically significant (P = 0.00). Conclusion: The patients suffering from COVID-19 who had developed AKI at the time of presentation had a poor prognosis as well as increased risk of mortality.