Pattern of acute kidney injury among COVID-19 patients admitted to isolation and treatment center of SPHMMC, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: a retrospecive study

Abstract

Abstract Background: Despite the fact that the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) typically presents with respiratory symptoms, multi-organ manifestations including the kidney has been documented. However, literature regarding the magnitude and pattern kidney insults following COVID-19 is rather scattered and scarce in developing countries such as Ethiopia. Objective: To assess the magnitude and pattern of acute kidney injury among COVID-19 patients admitted to isolation and treatment center of St. Paul’s Hospital Millennium Medical College (SPHMMC), Addis Ababa, Ethiopia from June 1, 2020 to May 30, 2021. Methods: A facility-based, retrospective study was conducted at SPHMMC. Systematic random sampling technique was applied to select 248 COVID-19-infected patients who were admitted from June 1, 2020 to May 30, 2021 to isolation and treatment center of SPHMMC. Data were entered to Microsoft Excel spreadsheet (version 2016) and analyzed using SPSS version 26. Descriptive analysis was used for statistical analysis, and multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to determine associations between dependent and independent variables. A p-value <0.05 was considered significant. Texts, tables and figures were used to present the results. Results: In total, 243 patients were included in this study, with a response rate of 98%. Males (150;61.7%) predominated, and patients’ median (interquartile range) age was 55 (40 65) years. AKI was diagnosed in 60 (24.7%; 95%CI: 19–30%) of the patients. Stages 1, 2, and 3 AKI accounted for 25%, 33.3% and 41.7%, respectively. Disease severity and exposure to nephrotoxic medications contributed to the development of AKI. Patients with severe COVID-19 [AOR(95%CI) = 3.62(1.02,12.89)], critical COVID-19 [AOR(95%CI) = 7.10(1.78,28.27), exposure to nephrotoxins [AOR(95%CI) = 3.23(1.34,7.77)] were more likely to develop AKI. Conclusion: Acute kidney injury is a common and serious complication among hospitalized COVID-19 positive patients, particularly among those with severe disease and exposure to nephrotoxic medications. Thus, it is imperative to prevent kidney injury in such vulnerable cohort of patients. Keywords: Magnitude, Pattern, Acute kidney injury, COVID-19