Kidney Disease can Double the Risk of Dying from Coronavirus

Kidney disease or injury doubles the risk of dying from COVID-19, NHS doctors have discovered, in findings which indicate "extreme risk" for over three million people. The findings of the study are published in the journal Anaesthesia.// Kidney function decreases over a period of months to years and is more common in older people who have chronic kidney disease. There are 5 stages of the disease, ranging from early stages (1 and 2) to more serious stages 3 to 5, which is linked to complications such as high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease.

The study is led by Dr. Sanooj Soni and colleagues. They examined the link between acute kidney injury (AKI) and chronic kidney disease (CKD) with clinical outcomes in 372 patients with coronavirus admitted to four regional intensive care units (ICUs).

A total of 58 percent of patients had some form of kidney impairment, while 42 percent had no CKD or AKI. The patients who developed acute kidney injury had no history of serious kidney disease before their ICU admission, suggesting that the AKI was directly linked to their COVID-19 infection.

The study found that patients with no kidney injury had a mortality of 21 percent. Those with new onset of acute kidney injury caused by the COVID-19 virus had a mortality of 48 percent, whilst for those with pre-existing CKD (Stages 1-4), mortality was 50 percent. In those patients with end-stage kidney failure, mortality was 47 percent. The death rate was high in those patients with kidney transplants, with 6 out of 7 patients dying, highlighting that these patients are an extremely vulnerable group.

The authors conclude: "Our data demonstrate that kidney disease and failure in critically ill patients with COVID-19 are common, and linked to high mortality. However, important differences exist between stages of acute and chronic kidney disease in how they influence mortality in patients with coronavirus, and patients who have had a kidney transplant are an extremely vulnerable group. In view of this, attention needs to be paid to coronavirus patients with any form of kidney disease or injury, and every effort made to prevent progression of this disease or injury from reducing death in this cohort of patients."

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Source-Medindia