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COVID-19 and the Kidneys: An Update
Claudia Benedetti1, Meryl Waldman2, Gianluigi Zaza3
1Department of Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, United States.
Insights
The new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) primarily affects adults, causing mild symptoms in most but severe respiratory and kidney damage in some. Research is ongoing to find effective treatments for this global health emergency.
Area of Science:
- Infectious Diseases
- Nephrology
- Critical Care Medicine
Background:
- The novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) emerged as a global health crisis.
- While often mild, COVID-19 can cause severe alveolar damage, respiratory failure, and fatalities.
- Kidney damage, including acute kidney injury, has been observed in COVID-19 patients.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of COVID-19 on patients with pre-existing kidney conditions.
- To understand the pathogenesis of COVID-19, including viral injury, inflammation, and coagulation.
- To identify potential therapeutic agents for COVID-19.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing literature on COVID-19 pathogenesis and clinical manifestations.
- Analysis of reported cases of kidney damage in COVID-19 patients.
- Exploration of preliminary research on potential COVID-19 treatments.
Main Results:
- COVID-19 predominantly affects individuals aged 30-79, with 81% experiencing mild illness.
- Severe cases involve alveolar damage, respiratory failure (6.4% mortality), and potential kidney injury.
- The effects on individuals with chronic kidney disease, transplant recipients, and hemodialysis patients remain unclear.
Conclusions:
- COVID-19 poses a significant threat, causing diverse organ damage beyond the respiratory system.
- Further research is crucial to elucidate COVID-19's impact on vulnerable kidney patient populations.
- Several potential therapeutic agents are under investigation for COVID-19 treatment.
Abstract:
The new coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has become a world health emergency. The disease predominantly effects individuals between 30 and 79 years of age with 81% of cases being classified as mild. Despite the majority of the general population displaying symptoms similar to the common cold, COVID-19 has also induced alveolar damage resulting in progressive respiratory failure with fatalities noted in 6.4% of cases. Direct viral injury, uncontrolled inflammation, activation of coagulation, and complement cascades are thought to participate in disease pathogenesis. Patients with COVID-19 have displayed kidney damage through acute kidney injury, mild proteinuria, hematuria, or slight elevation in creatinine possibly as consequence of kidney tropism of the virus and multiorgan failure. The impact of COVID-19 on patients with pre-existing kidney impairment, including those with chronic kidney disease, kidney transplant recipients, and individuals on hemodialysis (HD) has not yet been clearly established. No specific treatments for COVID-19 have been found yet. Research has revealed several agents that may have potential efficacy against COVID-19, and many of these molecules have demonstrated preliminary efficacy against COVID-19 and are currently being tested in clinical trials.
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