People hospitalized with COVID-19, and even some with milder cases, may experience lasting kidney damage, according to a study published in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology. The analysis of 89,216 patients diagnosed with COVID-19 between March 2020 and March 2021 and still alive 30 days later found that, months after the initial infection, COVID-19 survivors were at increased risk for various types of kidney damage, from reduced kidney function to advanced kidney failure. Patients who had COVID-19 were more likely to experience a substantial drop in GFR; approximately 5% had a GFR decline of 30% or more, a 25% higher risk than the general VA patient population. They were also nearly twice as likely to develop acute kidney injury, which varied by initial COVID-19 severity.
