Does Postlong Coronavirus 2019 Disease Affect Renal Stiffness without any Chronic Systemic Disorders?

Area of Science:

• Nephrology
• Radiology
• Infectious Diseases

Background:

• Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by SARS-CoV-2, has profoundly impacted global health and lifestyles.
• Limited research exists on the late renal effects of COVID-19, despite its known systemic involvement.
• Understanding long-term kidney consequences is crucial for comprehensive patient management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare kidney sonoelastographic changes in recovered COVID-19 patients versus healthy individuals.
• To utilize strain wave elastography (SWE) to assess renal parenchymal stiffness.
• To investigate potential late renal effects of COVID-19.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective evaluation of 92 post-long COVID-19 patients and 9 healthy controls (June 2021-May 2022).
• Assessment of demographic, laboratory, renal ultrasonography (USG), and sonoelastographic findings.
• Comparison of renal strain ratio (RSR) between the post-COVID-19 and control groups.

Main Results:

• Post-COVID-19 patients exhibited significantly higher renal elastographic values (stiffness) compared to controls (p<0.001).
• No significant differences in age, gender, or BMI were found between groups.
• ROC analysis indicated an RSR cutoff of >1.66 predicted post-COVID-19 status with 44.9% sensitivity and 81.9% specificity (AUC=0.655).

Conclusions:

• Renal parenchymal stiffness, assessed by SWE, is increased in patients post-COVID-19.
• SWE is a valuable tool for detecting subclinical renal changes in long COVID-19 patients.
• Findings highlight the potential for persistent renal alterations following SARS-CoV-2 infection.