ASN's Mission

To create a world without kidney diseases, the ASN Alliance for Kidney Health elevates care by educating and informing, driving breakthroughs and innovation, and advocating for policies that create transformative changes in kidney medicine throughout the world.

learn more

Contact ASN

1401 H St, NW, Ste 900, Washington, DC 20005

email@asn-online.org

202-640-4660

The Latest on X

Kidney Week

Please note that you are viewing an archived section from 2022 and some content may be unavailable. To unlock all content for 2022, please visit the archives.

Abstract: TH-PO908

No Evidence for Persisting or Progressive Kidney Disease After Non-Severe COVID-19

Session Information

  • COVID-19: Long COVID
    November 03, 2022 | Location: Exhibit Hall, Orange County Convention Center‚ West Building
    Abstract Time: 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM

Category: Coronavirus (COVID-19)

  • 000 Coronavirus (COVID-19)

Authors

  • Schmidt-Lauber, Christian, Universitatsklinikum Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
  • Alabdo, Ammar, Universitatsklinikum Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
  • Petersen, Elina Larissa, Universitatsklinikum Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
  • Fliser, Danilo, Universitatsklinikum des Saarlandes und Medizinische Fakultat der Universitat des Saarlandes, Homburg, Saarland, Germany
  • Lindenmeyer, Maja, Universitatsklinikum Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
  • Twerenbold, Raphael, University Heart and Vascular Center, Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
  • Renné, Thomas, Universitatsklinikum Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
  • Huber, Tobias B., Universitatsklinikum Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
Background

Diverse abnormal findings have been described after non-severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) but kidney outcomes remain largely unknown. Here we analyze various kidney parameters after non-severe COVID-19 to test the hypothesis of a relevant kidney sequela.

Methods

This cross-sectional study investigates patients after non-severe COVID-19 and matched control subjects without prior COVID-19. Patients were recruited by the population-based Hamburg City Health Study (HCHS) as well as its associated COVID program. The HCHS is a prospective population-based cohort study on randomly selected residents of the city of Hamburg, Germany. During the COVID-19 pandemic the study also invited patients at least 4 months after a PCR proven severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus type 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection via newspaper announcements and an official COVID-19 test center. All patients had to be between 45 and 74 years of age. Matching was performed by age, sex, and education. Main outcomes were eGFR, albuminuria, Dickkopf3, hematuria, and pyuria. Descriptive analysis and mixed regression models were performed with adjustment for multiple testing by Bonferroni corrections.

Results

The non-COVID cohort consisted of 1328 subjects, the post-COVID cohort of 443 patients in median 9 months after SARS-CoV-2 infection. Most patients had mild COVID-19. Only 31 patients were hospitalized with COVID-19 and no patient was treated on an intensive care unit. The risk for chronic kidney disease (CKD), defined by an eGFR < 60 ml/min/1.73m2, (OR 0.9, adjusted p=1.000) or severely increased albuminuria (OR 0.79, adj. p=0.893) was not increased in the post-COVID compared to the non-COVID cohort. This also applied for early CKD stages. However, mean eGFR was mildly lower in post-COVID subjects, even after adjusting for known risk factors (beta -1.84, adj. p=0.032). We found no elevation of hematuria, pyuria, and proteinuria for the post-COVID cohort suggesting no systematic ongoing kidney involvement. Urinary Dickkopf3 even tended to be lower in post-COVID patients indicating no risk for ongoing GFR decline in this cohort (beta -72.19, adj. p=0.072).

Conclusion

While there is a subclinical eGFR drop after non-severe COVID-19, we found no evidence for a relevant kidney sequela nor ongoing renal involvement.

Funding

  • Government Support – Non-U.S.