The Association between Kidney Function and the Severity of COVID-19 in Children

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Kidney manifestations are life-threatening conditions, such as end-stage kidney disease, notably when caused by viral infections. The severe acute respiratory syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), is an emerging global health problem, potentially affecting all organs, including the kidney. Most reports on kidney manifestations were focused on the adult and elderly population but limited on children. AIM: This study aims to analyze the association between kidney function and the severity of the disease of pediatric patients suffering from COVID-19. METHODS: From March 2020 to March 2021, an observational analytic study was conducted in Hasan Sadikin General Hospital, Bandung, Indonesia. The demographic data, clinical signs, laboratory results, and notable kidney function were analyzed, and based on its clinical appearance the disease was classified as severe and non-severe. Subsequently, the Mann–Whitney test for nonparametric was used to analyze the collected data. RESULTS: In this study, 40 COVID-19 children were selected as the subjects, and the median estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) value in the severe group was discovered to be lower (88.2 mL/min/1.73 m2) compared to the non-severe (124.4 mL/min/1.73 m2), it was statistically significant (p = 0.041). There was no difference in hemoglobin and leukocyte values between the two groups (p > 0.05). Furthermore, the CRP and NLR results showed no difference between the groups (p > 0.05). CONCLUSION: A severe SARS-CoV-2 infection correlates with kidney function, which was manifested by a lower median eGFR value in the severe compared to the non-severe group.