Acute Kidney Injury and Hypertension in COVID-19 Infection

authors:

avatar Khojasteh Hoseinynejad 1 , * , avatar Fatemeh Amini 2 , avatar Shokouh Shayanpour 3 , avatar Seyed Saheb Hoseinynejad 4

Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Persian Gulf Physiology Research Center, Basic Medical Sciences Research Institute, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran
Department of Persian Medicine, School of Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
Chronic Renal Failure Research Center, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran
Assistant Professor, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon, Taleghani Hospital, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran

how to cite: Hoseinynejad K, Amini F, Shayanpour S, Hoseinynejad S S. Acute Kidney Injury and Hypertension in COVID-19 Infection. Jundishapur J Physiol. 2024;2(2):e148766. https://doi.org/10.3295/JJP.2023.2.2.82.

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected all the infrastructures of human life and has turned into a global emergency. COVID-19 infection mostly affects the respiratory system but can also cause multi-organ failure, such as acute kidney injury (AKI). The present review aims to assess the relationship between COVID-19 and kidney disorders and hypertension. The six official databases, namely PubMed, WHO COVID-19 database, Academic Search Premier, Science Direct, Google Scholar, and CORD-19, were searched for scientific reports (original articles) using the keywords: “COVID-19”, “Coronavirus”, “SARS CoV-2”, “Kidney disease”, “Acute renal failure”, “Kidney transplant”, and "Hypertension". A total of 58 articles were considered for a full review.
The prevalence of AKI was more than 6% prevalent in COVID-19 patients. Furthermore, AKI and hypertension were associated with higher morbidity and mortality. To control hypertension, there were different opinions and findings regarding the use of angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) and angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs); however, most of the studies suggested using these drugs to control blood pressure. AKI is associated with higher morbidity and mortality rates. A simple urinalysis in patients with suspected COVID-19 can reveal renal dysfunction at the earlier onset of complication, which may be very helpful before progressing to late-stage kidney disease. In addition to AKI, hypertension is considered to be accompanied by a worse prognosis. Further studies must be performed to clarify all the aspects of using hypertension medications in COVID-19 patients.