Renal Involvement in COVID-19 Among Iranian Children

Information about renal involvement in pediatric patients with COVID-19 is limited, and there is not enough data about renal and urinary tract involvement in children infected with this novel virus.

This study aimed to determine the spectrum of kidney diseases in pediatric patients with COVID-19, admitted to a tertiary children’s hospital.

This cross-sectional study was conducted on 71 pediatric patients with COVID-19 infection. Diagnosis of COVID-19 was established based on the guidelines by the IranianMinistry of Health. The patients’ demographic characteristics, clinical symptoms, laboratory results, and renal ultrasonography findings were extracted from the hospital medical records.

On admission, 10% of patients had oliguria, 7.7% had edema, and 3% had hypertension. The first urinalysis indicated proteinuria, leukocyturia, and hematuria in 46%, 24%, and 23% of the patients, respectively. Overall, 40.7% of the patients showed some degree of renal involvement. During hospitalization, acute kidney injury (AKI) occurred in 34.5% of the patients. Based on the pediatric risk, injury, failure, loss of kidney function, and end-stage kidney disease (pRIFLE) classification, stage I (risk group) was found in 20% of patients, stage II (injury group) in 25% of patients, and stage III (failure group) in 55% of patients with AKI. The total mortality rate was estimated at 12.67%, and the incidence of in-hospital death was 30% in pediatric patients with severe COVID-19 infection associated with AKI.

The prevalence of AKI was high in patients with COVID-19 infection hospitalized in our tertiary hospital. We also found that a decrease in renal function was associated with a higher risk of mortality. Overall, early detection of AKI and effective treatment may help reduce mortality in patients with COVID-19.