Chronic anticoagulation is not associated with a reduced risk of acute kidney injury in hospitalised Covid-19 patients.

BACKGROUND: Coronavirus-19 (COVID-19) has been declared a global pandemic by the World Health Organisation. Severe disease typically presents with respiratory failure but Acute Kidney Injury (AKI) and a hypercoagulable state can also occur. Early reports suggest that thrombosis may be linked with AKI. We studied the development of AKI and outcomes of patients with COVID-19 taking chronic anticoagulation therapy. METHODS: Electronic records were reviewed for all adult patients admitted to Manchester University Foundation Trust Hospitals between March 10 and April 302,020 with a diagnosis of COVID-19. Patients with end-stage kidney disease were excluded. AKI was classified as per KDIGO criteria. RESULTS: Of the 1032 patients with COVID-19 studied,164 (15.9%) were taking anticoagulant therapy prior to admission. There were similar rates of AKI between those on anticoagulants and those not anticoagulated (23.8% versus 19.7%) with no difference in the severity of AKI or requirement of renal replacement therapy between groups (1.2% versus 3.5%). Risk factors for AKI included hypertension, pre-existing renal disease and male sex. There was a higher mortality in those taking anticoagulant therapy (40.2% versus 30%). Patients taking anticoagulants were less likely to be admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (8.5% versus 17.4%) and to receive mechanical ventilation (42.9% versus 78.1%). CONCLUSION: Patients on chronic anticoagulant therapy did not have a reduced incidence or severity of AKI suggesting that AKI is unlikely to be thrombotic in nature. Therapeutic anticoagulation is currently still under investigation in randomised controlled studies to determine whether it has a potential role in COVID-19 treatment.

Characteristics and outcomes of hospitalised patients with acute kidney injury and COVID-19.

INTRODUCTION: COVID-19 has spread globally to now be considered a pandemic by the World Health Organisation. Initially patients appeared to have a respiratory limited disease but there are now increasing reports of multiple organ involvement including renal disease in association with COVID-19. We studied the development and outcomes of acute kidney injury (AKI) in patients with COVID-19, in a large multicultural city hospital trust in the UK, to better understand the role renal disease has in the disease process. METHODS: This was a retrospective review using electronic records and laboratory data of adult patients admitted to the four Manchester University Foundation Trust Hospitals between March 10 and April 30 2020 with a diagnosis of COVID-19. Records were reviewed for baseline characteristics, medications, comorbidities, social deprivation index, observations, biochemistry and outcomes including mortality, admission to critical care, mechanical ventilation and the need for renal replacement therapy. RESULTS: There were 1032 patients included in the study of whom 210 (20.3%) had AKI in association with the diagnosis of COVID-19. The overall mortality with AKI was considerably higher at 52.4% compared to 26.3% without AKI (p-value <0.001). More patients with AKI required escalation to critical care (34.8% vs 11.2%, p-value <0.001). Following admission to critical care those with AKI were more likely to die (54.8% vs 25.0%, p-value <0.001) and more likely to require mechanical ventilation (86.3% vs 66.3%, p-value 0.006). DISCUSSION: We have shown that the development of AKI is associated with dramatically worse outcomes for patients, in both mortality and the requirement for critical care. Patients with COVID-19 presenting with, or at risk of AKI should be closely monitored and appropriately managed to prevent any decline in renal function, given the significant risk of deterioration and death.

Prevalence of use of complementary and alternative medicine in chronic kidney disease: A cross-sectional single-center study from South India.

The prevalence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) has increased substantially in India over the past two decades commensurate with the global trend and has currently emerged as a significant cause of mortality and morbidity. Use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), especially ayurvedic medication, is widespread in CKD although accurate data on the prevalence of use are lacking. A cross-sectional study was conducted from January to June 2017 in the nephrology outpatient clinic of a medical college hospital in Mangalore, South-West India. Adult patients (>18 years) with CKD (estimated glomerular filtration rate ≤60 mL/min) were considered potentially eligible and approached to participate in the survey. A 17-item semi-structured questionnaire adapted from the National Health Interview Survey Adult CAM Supplement was used for the study. A total of 278 patients (194 males and 84 females) with a mean age of 49.04 ± 12.06 years were included in the study; 67.3% were unemployed and married (83.8%), 35.6% had primary school education, more than 2/3rd of the patients had CKD Stage 5, and 110 patients were on renal replacement therapy with hemodialysis. Comorbidities such as hypertension were present in 46.8%, whereas 36.7% of the patients were diabetic. One hundred and eighty-four patients interviewed (66.3%) reported the use of one or more types of CAM therapy in the previous six months. Herbal and dietary supplements were used by 13 (7.1%); ayurvedic medication by 117 (63.6%); naturopathic, homeopathic, and Unani systems by 30 (16.3%), while spiritual/faith healing and acupuncture were used by 16 (8.7%) and eight (4.3%) of the patients, respectively. A multiple regression analysis between CAM users and non-users revealed that older age (P = 0.004), occupational status (P = 0.035), and income (P = 0.006) correlated strongly with CAM use. The present study highlights the high prevalence (66%) of use of alternative medication in patients with CKD.