Kidney function indicators predict adverse outcomes of COVID-19

Abstract Background The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an emerged respiratory infectious disease with kidney injury as a part of the clinical complications. However, the dynamic change of kidney function and its association with COVID-19 prognosis are largely unknown. Methods In this multicenter retrospective cohort study, we analyzed clinical characteristics, medical history, laboratory tests, and treatment data of 12,413 COVID-19 patients. The patient cohort was stratified according to the severity of the outcome into three groups: non-severe, severe, and death. Findings. The prevalence of elevated blood urea nitrogen (BUN), elevated serum creatinine (Scr), and decreased blood uric acid (BUA) at admission was 6.29%, 5.22%, 11.66%, respectively. The trajectories showed elevation of BUN level and Scr level, as well as a reduction of BUA level during 28 days after admission in death cases. Increased all-cause mortality risk was associated with elevated baseline levels of BUN and Scr, and decreased level of BUA. Conclusion The dynamic changes of the three kidney function markers were associated with different severity and poor prognosis of COVID-19 patients. BUN showed close association and high potential for predicting adverse outcomes in COVID-19 patients for severity stratification and triage.