How Does Coronavirus Also Cause Kidney Damage?

COVID-19 has caused the whole world to come to a halt. Over 200 countries have been affected by this deadly new disease. Although we do not know everything about the coronavirus or SARS-CoV-2, we know that it spreads through respiratory droplets while sneezing and coughing. There is no cure so we must do everything to protect ourselves.

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We knew that the virus causes fatal lung problems when the person is infected but the coronavirus also causes damage to the kidneys. In extreme cases, patients might need kidney replacement or dialysis treatments.

Why are kidneys important in the body?

Kidneys have their functions such as producing urine, regulating the fluid in your body, and ensuring that blood flow occurs with the right pressure. They regulate the balance of some minerals in our bodies and other substances in our blood. Furthermore, they also filter out the normal toxins that are created by the body and pass it out safely through urine.

COVID-19 and Kidneys

COVID-19 damages the kidneys like AKI or acute kidney injury where the kidney is damaged at an extremely rapid rate. It is still not clear how frequent kidney damage is.

A study has found out that 5 percent of the patients hospitalized for COVID-19 have developed acute kidney injury. Furthermore, the people who had developed acute kidney injury are the ones who are more likely to die than others who did not develop it.

Symptoms of kidney damage due to COVID-19

The most common symptoms of COVID-19 are slight fever and dry cough. However, people who had kidney damage suffered from more severe symptoms such as breathing difficulties. The kidney damage will not cause severe symptoms until the damage is itself severe. After kidney damage becomes severe some symptoms are:

• Infrequent urination
• Vomiting
• Swelling of extremities
• Nausea

Causes of kidney damage by COVID-19

There is still much more to find out about the kidney damage that is caused by COVID-19 in only a small population. However, researchers know that the other types of coronaviruses such as the MERS or Middle East Respiratory Syndrome can damage kidneys.  Some possible causes of kidney damage are:

• Direct kidney cell damage due to the coronavirus
• Cytokine storm: This is an exaggerated maladaptive immune response that occurs in some people who are suffering from COVID-19.
• Dehydration: If a COVID-19 infected patient has not been drinking enough water then kidney damage could occur.

Conclusion

The COVID-19 is a deadly disease that is new to the world and its true potential is not known to us. Thus, you must stay as safe as you can. Prevention is the best cure in this situation.