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Effect of Electrolyte Imbalance on Mortality and Late Acute Kidney Injury in Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients
Tahereh Sabaghian, Mohamadjavad Honarvar, Seyed Amir Ahmad Safavi-Naini
1Safety Promotion and Injury Prevention Research Center, Imam Hossein Hospital, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Science, Tehran, Iran. hhatamabadi@yahoo.com.
Insights
Electrolyte imbalances like hyponatremia and hypernatremia significantly worsen COVID-19 prognosis, increasing mortality and acute kidney injury risk. Monitoring and correcting these imbalances are crucial for hospitalized patients.
Area of Science:
- Nephrology
- Infectious Diseases
- Critical Care Medicine
Background:
- Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a multisystem illness impacting various organs.
- Electrolyte imbalance (EI) is a common complication in hospitalized patients, potentially affecting COVID-19 outcomes.
- The interplay between EI, renal dysfunction, and COVID-19 prognosis requires further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of electrolyte imbalance on the prognosis of hospitalized COVID-19 patients.
- To determine the association between specific electrolyte abnormalities and outcomes such as acute kidney injury (AKI) and in-hospital mortality.
- To identify electrolyte imbalances that serve as independent risk factors for poor COVID-19 prognosis.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of 499 hospitalized COVID-19 patients without prior chronic kidney disease.
- Collection of demographic data, laboratory values, and outcomes from hospital information systems.
- Assessment of serum electrolytes (sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium, phosphorus) on admission and during hospitalization, with multivariate analyses to adjust for confounders.
Main Results:
- AKI occurred in 33.7% and mortality in 18.4% of patients.
- Hyponatremia and hypernatremia on admission were significantly associated with increased mortality.
- Hyponatremia and hyperphosphatemia on admission were linked to the development of late AKI.
Conclusions:
- Specific electrolyte imbalances, including hyponatremia, hypernatremia, hyperkalemia, and hyperphosphatemia, are associated with poor COVID-19 prognosis.
- Physicians should closely monitor and correct electrolyte disturbances in hospitalized COVID-19 patients.
- Early identification and management of EI can potentially improve outcomes in COVID-19 patients.
Introduction:
As a multisystem illness, Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) can damage different organs. This study investigated the effect of electrolyte imbalance (EI), with or without concomitant renal dysfunction, on the prognosis of COVID-19 in hospitalized patients.
Methods:
We evaluated 499 hospitalized patients with confirmed COVID-19, without a history of chronic kidney disease. The patients' demographic data, laboratory values, and outcomes were retrospectively collected from the hospital information system. Serumelectrolytes including sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium, and phosphorus abnormalities were analyzed on admission and during the hospitalization period. The outcomes of this study were the occurrence of acute kidney injury (AKI) after the first week of hospitalization and in-hospital mortality rate. Multivariate analyses were carried out to obtain the independent risk of each EI on mortality, by adjusting for age, gender, and AKI occurrence.
Results:
Among the 499 COVID-19 patients (60.9% male), AKI occurred in 168 (33.7%) and mortality in 92 (18.4%) cases. Hypocalcemia (38%) and hyponatremia (22.6%) were the most prevalent EIs, and all EIs were more common in the AKI group than in the non-AKI group. Hyponatremia (Adjusted Odds ratio [AOR] = 2.34, 95% CI: 1.30 to 4.18), hypernatremia (AOR = 8.52, 95% CI: 1.95 to 37.32), and hyperkalemia (AOR = 4.63, 95% CI: 1.65 to 13) on admission were associated with poor prognosis. Moreover, hyponatremia (AOR = 3.02, 95% CI: 1.28 to 7.15) and hyperphosphatemia (AOR = 5.12, 95% CI: 1.24 to 21.09) on admission were associated with late AKI occurrence.
Conclusion:
This study highlights the role of hyponatremia, hypernatremia, hyperkalemia, and hyperphosphatemia in poor prognosis of COVID-19. According to the independent effect of EI on late AKI and mortality, we recommend physicians to raise awareness to closely monitor and correct EI during hospitalization. DOI: 10.52547/ijkd.6904.
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