COVID-19 na Kuumia kwa Figo Kali

NaAnna Malkina, MD, University of California, San Francisco
Imepitiwa/Imerekebishwa Feb 2025

People with COVID-19, particularly the critically ill, may develop sudden kidney failure (acute kidney injury).

The risk of death in people with COVID-19 increases if they also have acute kidney injury. Factors that increase the risk of developing AKI among people with COVID-19 include the following:

  • Age

  • Race (Black people are at higher risk)

  • The presence of certain other serious medical disorders, such as diabetes, high blood pressure (hypertension), and heart disease

  • The need for mechanical ventilation

  • Shock that requires medications to maintain blood pressure

It is not clear exactly what causes acute kidney injury in people with COVID-19. Possibilities include the following:

  • Ischemia (inadequate blood supply to tissues) caused by the body's response to the virus

  • Inflammation caused by the body's response to the virus

  • Direct damage to the kidneys from the virus that causes COVID-19

Symptoms and blood and urine test results are similar to those of acute kidney injury caused by other disorders.

Doctors treat the acute kidney injury in COVID-19 by providing supportive care, including

  • Intravenous fluids and/or blood transfusions

  • Monitoring and correcting imbalances in electrolytes

  • If necessary, dialysis

If dialysis of the blood is required, anticoagulants (blood thinners) are given to prevent blood clots.