Renal dysfunction and prognosis of COVID-19 patients: a hospital-based retrospective cohort study

Abstract Introduction: Increasing evidence indicate that coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is companied by renal dysfunction. However, the association of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2)-induced renal dysfunction with prognosis remains unclear.Materials and methods: This prospective case-cohort study analyzed 154 COVID-19 patients from the Second People’s Hospital of Fuyang City in Anhui Province. Clinical and demographic information were collected. Renal function was evaluated and its prognosis was followed up. Results: Of 154 hospitalized patients with COVID-19, 125 were common and 29 were severe patients. On admission, 16 (10.4%) patients were with renal dysfunction. Serum creatinine and cystatin C were increased, eGFR was decreased in severe patients compared with those in common patients. Renal dysfunction was more common in severe patients. By multivariate logistic regression, male, higher age and hypertension were three importantly independent risk factors of renal dysfunction in COVID-19 patients. Follow-up study found that at least one renal function marker of 3.33% patients remained abnormal in two weeks after discharge. Conclusion: Male elderly COVID-19 patients with hypertension elevates the risk of renal dysfunction. SARS-CoV-2-induced renal dysfunction are not fully recovered in two weeks after discharge.