Urinary biomarkers predict severe kidney injury in patients hospitalized with COVID-19

In this study published in the American Journal of Kidney Diseases (AJKD), researchers found that two-fold higher levels of neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin, monocyte chemoattractant protein, and kidney injurymolecule-1 were associated with increased risk of severe acute kidney injury or death in patients hospitalized with COVID-19. 

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a serious complication in patients hospitalized with COVID-19. Researchers hypothesized that biomarkers measured in the urine that are more specific for kidney injury and inflammation than serum creatinine may add to the understanding of kidney injury in the setting of COVID-19. They found that certain biomarkers including epidermal growth factor and kidney injury molecule-1, among others, were associated with stage 3 AKI, dialysis, and death up to 60 days in patients hospitalized with COVID-19. These study results suggest that these studied biomarkers may help identify patients at particularly high risk for adverse kidney outcomes.

TITLE: Prognostic Significance of Urinary Biomarkers in Patients Hospitalized With COVID-19

AUTHORS: Steven Menez, MD, MHS, Dennis G. Moledina, MBBS, PhD, Heather Thiessen- Philbrook, MMath, F. Perry Wilson, MD, MSCE, Wassim Obeid, PhD, Michael Simonov, MD, Yu Yamamoto, MS, Celia P. Corona-Villalobos, MD, MS, Crystal Chang, BS, Brian T. Garibaldi, MD, William Clarke, PhD, Shelli Farhadian, MD, PhD, Charles Dela Cruz, MD, PhD, Steven G. Coca, DO, MS, Chirag R. Parikh, MD, PhD, on behalf of the TRIKIC Consortium

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1053/j.ajkd.2021.09.008