SARS-CoV-2 infection does not significantly cause acute renal injury: an analysis of 116 hospitalized patients with COVID-19 in a single hospital, Wuhan, China (preprint)

ABSTRACT

Summary Background Whether the patients with COVID-19 infected by SARS-CoV-2 would commonly develop acute renal function damage is a problem worthy of clinical attention. This study aimed to explore the effects of SARS-CoV-2 infection on renal function through analyzing the clinical data of 116 hospitalized COVID-19-confirmed patients. Methods 116 hospitalized COVID-19-confirmed patients enrolled in this study were hospitalized in the Department of Infectious Diseases, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University from January 14 to February 13, 2020. The recorded information includes demographic data, medical history, contact history, potential comorbidities, symptoms, signs, laboratory test results, chest computer tomography (CT) scans, and treatment measures. SARS-CoV-2 RNA in 53 urine sediments of enrolled patients was examined by real-time RT-PCR. Findings 12 (10.8%) and 8 (7.2%) patients showed mild elevation of blood urea nitrogen or creatinine, and trace or 1+ albuminuria respectively in 111 COVID-19-confirmed patients without basic kidney disease. In addition, 5 patients with chronic renal failure (CRF) were undergone regular continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) were confirmed infection of SARS-CoV-2, and diagnosed as COVID-19. Beside the treatment of COVID-19, CRRT was also applied three times weekly. The course of treatment, the renal function indicators showed stable, without exacerbation of CRF, and pulmonary inflammation was gradually absorbed. All 5 patients with CRF were survived. Moreover, SARS-CoV-2 RNA in urine sediments was positive only in 3 patients from 48 cases without renal illness before, and one patient had a positive for SARS-CoV-2 ORF 1ab from 5 cases with CRF. Interpretation Acute renal impairment was uncommon in COVID-19. SARS-CoV-2 infection does not significantly cause obvious acute renal injury, or aggravate CRF in the COVID-19 patients.