• Ki Ryang Na, Hae Ri Kim, Youngrok Ham, Dae Eun Choi, Kang Wook Lee, Jae Young Moon, Yeon Sook Kim, Shinhye Cheon, Kyung Mok Sohn, Jungok Kim, Sungmin Kim, Hyeongseok Jeong, and Jae Wan Jeon.
• Department of Internal Medicine, Chungnam National University School of Medicine, Daejeon, Korea.
• J. Korean Med. Sci. 2020 Jul 20; 35 (28): e257.

BackgroundCoronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. This disease, which is quickly spreading worldwide, has high potential for infection and causes rapid progression of lung lesions, resulting in a high mortality rate. This study aimed to investigate the effects of SARS-CoV-2 infection on renal function in patients with COVID-19.MethodsFrom February 21 to April 24, 2020, 66 patients diagnosed with COVID-19 at Chungnam National University Hospital were analyzed; all patients underwent routine urinalysis and were tested for serum creatinine, urine protein to creatinine ratio (PCR), and urine albumin to creatinine ratio (ACR).ResultsAcute kidney injury (AKI) occurred in 3 (4.5%) of the 66 patients, and 1 patient with AKI stage 3 underwent hemodialysis. Upon follow-up, all 3 patients recovered normal renal function. Compared with patients with mild COVID-19, AKI (n = 3) occurred in patients with severe COVID-19, of whom both urine PCR and ACR were markedly increased.ConclusionThe incidence of AKI was not high in COVID-19 patients. The lower mortality rate in SARS-CoV-2 infection compared with previous Middle East respiratory syndrome and SARS-CoV infections is thought to be associated with a low incidence of dysfunction in organs other than the lungs.© 2020 The Korean Academy of Medical Sciences.

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