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Chronic kidney disease is the leading risk factor for hospitalisation from Covid-19, says a study of electronic health records.
For the study, the researchers examined the health records of 12,971 individuals who were tested for Covid-19 within the Geisinger Health System in the US.
Of this group, 1,604 were Covid-19 positive, and 354 required hospitalisation.
The team analysed the records for the association between specific clinical conditions, including kidney, cardiovascular, respiratory, and metabolic conditions, and Covid-19 hospitalisation.
Overall, chronic kidney disease was most strongly associated with hospitalisation, and COVID-19 patients with end-stage renal disease were 11 times more likely to be admitted to the hospital than patients without kidney disease,said the study published in the journal PLOS ONE.
"Previous studies have identified a variety of health conditions associated with an increased risk of COVID-related hospitalisation, including diabetes, heart failure, hypertension, and chronic kidney disease," said Alex Chang,Geisinger nephrologist and co-director of Geisinger's Kidney Health Research Institute.
"What is significant here is the magnitude of the kidney disease-related risk."
How underlying medical conditions increase the risk of Covid-19-related complications is not yet fully clear.
However, the study suggests that the physiological stress caused by an excessive inflammatory response to Covid-19 infection could destabilise organs already weakened by chronic disease, or that organ injury from the virus could act as a "second hit" to these organs.
"Consistent with this hypothesis, kidney and heart are among the tissues with the highest expression of ACE2, a SARS-CoV-2 receptor," the team wrote.
People with kidney disease and other severe chronic medical conditions are at higher risk for more severe illness.
People on dialysis can have weaker immune systems, making it harder to fight infections. However, it is important to know that kidney patients need to continue with their regularly scheduled dialysis treatments and to take necessary precautions as recommended by their healthcare team.
People with a kidney transplant need to take anti-rejection medicines (also known as immunosuppressive medicines). These medicines work by keeping the immune system less active, which can make it harder to fight infections. It is important to keep taking these medicines. It is also important to wash hands, maintain good hygiene, and follow the recommendations from their healthcare team.
Older adults and people with kidney disease or other severe chronic medical conditions seem to be at higher risk for more serious COVID-19 illness. If you are at higher risk of getting very sick from COVID-19, you should:
Please remember that if you are on dialysis, you should not miss your treatments. Contact your clinic if you feel sick or have any questions or concerns.
If you have a kidney transplant, it is important to remember to keep taking your anti-rejection medicines, maintain good hygiene, and follow the recommendations from your doctor.
The lungs are the main organs affected by COVID-19. But in serious cases, the rest of the body can also be affected. According to the doctors, patients who become severely ill, a good proportion of those patients also develop dysfunction in other organ systems. This damage to the organs isn't always directly caused by the infection but can result from the body's response to infection.
(With inputs from IANS)