Corona virus may lead to kidney failure..How?

Doctors have noted a high number of kidney failure cases among people with the emerging coronavirus that causes Covid-19 disease, especially those who have severe symptoms. How does the Corona virus affect the kidneys? 

Although the new corona virus affects the human respiratory system, it leaves its effects on all parts of the infected person's body.

According to a German magazine, "Spiegel", doctors discovered Corona caused damage to the heart and blood vessels, in addition to attacking the virus to the brain and nervous system of humans.

To date, there have been no reports of coronavirus causing damage to the kidneys in cases where the disease is accompanied by mild or moderate symptoms.

For those who develop severe symptoms, doctors found that the virus causes severe damage to the kidneys.

"Nearly all of Corona's patients who had pneumonia, and had to have a respirator, also had (kidney problems)," Jan Kristoff Gallah, president of the German Society of Nephrology, told SPIEGEL magazine.

This damage appears in the results of kidney function tests that reveal a change in some proportions, which means that the kidneys cannot fully perform their functions.

"Blood and protein samples were detected in half of the cases that entered the hospital, which is an early indication of damage to the kidneys," Alan Clegger, a kidney disease specialist at Yale University School of Medicine told the Washington Post.

Severe complications were recorded in 14% to 30% of these cases in New York and in Wuhan, China, to the extent that these patients needed dialysis, according to Kliger.

Kliger added that the number of people with kidney failure due to corona in the intensive care units has become unusually large, forcing these units in New York to increase the number of employees and requesting volunteers from other cities to conduct dialysis to patients.

In the same context, the "New York Times" warned of a crisis in dialysis equipment soon due to the rapidly increasing number of cases.

What exactly is happening?
In severe cases of corona's disease, the blood clots faster, which may lead to the formation of small clots that block the blood vessels.

This may also happen in the kidneys, which some experts call "small clots in kidney tissue". In addition, there is scientific evidence that the virus may attack the kidneys directly.

In the event that corona patients have pneumonia and need respiration, the matter affects the kidneys in a significant way. The pneumonia caused by corona leads to a large pool of water around the lungs.

In this case, the doctors give the patient diuretics that help to withdraw fluid from the body, which requires the kidneys to work more than normal, while you suffer from low blood flow due to small clots, which accelerates the failure of their work.

Endless results

It is not yet clear whether these damages are long-term or temporary, and Gallah added that despite this, "it is too early to judge the impact of corona on the kidneys in the long-term."

Scientists also warn against rushing to pass judgment, as more research is needed.

According to a Chinese study published in the Kidney International scientific journal, researchers found that nine out of 29 people who died of corona had signs of kidney failure, and that seven had particles of the virus in the kidneys, according to the Washington Post.

"It shows that it is possible that the cases of kidney injuries we see are directly related to the virus, which is different from what we saw in the SARS epidemic in 2002," commented Powell Balevsky, a kidney disease specialist at the University of Pittsburgh Medical School.

Additional prevention measures for kidney patients

Currently, nephrologist Jan Kristof Gallah is particularly concerned with the kidney failure patients he treats, and says, "We cannot ask them to stay at home. They need dialysis three times a week," which increases their risk of developing a Corona infection.

For this reason, the kidney disease clinic at Ludenscheid Hospital in western Germany, which is headed by his gallant, organizes dialysis times so that patients come at consecutive times throughout the day.

They and the drivers who transfer them must also wear a medical mask. In the event of an outbreak of Coronavirus infection among these patients, it will be very dangerous for their lives, as most of them also suffer from other diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease.