Renal manifestations of Covid-19 and its association with severity of disease in a tertiary care hospital of south India- A retrospective study

Renal involvement in patients with COVID-19 ranges from proteinuria and hematuria to acute kidney injury (AKI). The occurrence of AKI range from 0.5% to 80% across various studies. Our study was conducted to know the renal manifestations of COVID-19 in south Indian population and its association with severity. The study assessed COVID-19 positive adult patients admitted from 1/9/2020 to 31/10/2020. Data was collected by accessing electronic medical records of patients. Proteinuria and hematuria were assessed by urine dipstick. Lab data including S. Creatinine at admission was accessed. S. Creatinine at a mean duration of 7±2, 14±4 days during hospitalization and on follow-up at a mean duration of 45 days after discharge was also captured. A total of 1561 patients admitted during the study period were screened. After the exclusion criteria, 426 patients admitted with COVID-19 infection were enrolled. The occurrence of AKI was 14.8%. Proteinuria was positive in 75 patients (17.6%) hematuria in 39 patients (9.15 %). Patients with AKI, proteinuria and/or hematuria were more likely to have severe COVID-19 illness. 47.5% patients with AKI, 45.9 % with proteinuria and 34.4 % with hematuria had severe COVID-19 illness. The recovery of AKI at a mean duration of 45±15 days post discharge was 83.63 %. Renal involvement is not uncommon in patients with COVID-19 infection especially in patients with severe illness. Presence of AKI, proteinuria and/or hematuria is associated with increased mortality among patients hospitalized with COVID-19 infection.