Severe Acute Kidney Injury and Chronic Kidney Disease are Paramount Risk Factors for Mortality in Hospitalized Cases with COVID-19

Background and purpose: Novel coronavirus (COVID-19) can cause acute kidney injury (AKI), and underlying kidney diseases worsen the prognosis of COVID-19 patients. Materials and methods: This observational study examined the clinical and laboratory outcomes of patients with COVID-19 and assessed the major risk factors for death and intensive care unit (ICU) hospitalization in COVID-19 patients. The sample consisted of 296 COVID-19 patients with or without underlying kidney diseases. In total, 37 patients died (mean age: 66.6 ± 17.6). Results: Most patients who passed away initially suffered from shortness of breath (37.8%), cough (21.6%), old age, insulin use, central nervous system (CNS) disease, septic shock, hypoalbuminemia (P<0.0001), and high international normalized ratio (P<0.0001). Median time to death was higher in patients hospitalized in the ICU than in those without chronic kidney disease (OR=3.08; P=0.006). The use of azithromycin and ceftriaxone was lower than the use of Recigen and meropenem in deceased people (P<0.0001). Conclusion: The risk of mortality and ICU hospitalization was higher in patients with CKD than in those without CKD. The results revealed the therapeutic effects of azithromycin and ceftriaxone and the side effects of Recigen and meropenem in deceased COVID-19 patients. In addition, low albumin level, high INR, neutrophil count, white blood cell (WBC) significantly increased the risk of death in these patients.