Approximately 130,000 patients receive dialysis the number of which is increasing by 232 per million population. The percentage of the population suffering from ESRD (End Stage Renal Disease) is more and vulnerability to COVID-19 infection for the population having co-morbidities is on the higher side. Also, the people who have undergone kidney transplants are required to take immunosuppressants almost throughout their lives thereby lowering natural tendencies to fight the infections, therefore making them more vulnerable to the COVID-19 exposure and infection. Apart from the sensitivity towards CKD (Chronic Kidney Disease) subset COVID-19 is reported to contribute to acute kidney injury and the severity, affecting approximately 20–40% of patients admitted to intensive care in Europe and the USA.
Studies suggest that about 20% of the patients that are admitted to the intensive care units with the COVID-19 infection have to undergo renal replacement therapy.
Adjusting fluid balances according to the volume responsiveness and tolerance assessment is one of the approaches to managing the patient with acute kidney injury resulting from COVID-19 infection. Also, implementation of the Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) supportive care guidelines in critically ill patients with kidney involvement presumably reduces the occurrence and severity of AKI in COVID-19. The application of lung-protective ventilation also lowers the risk of new or worsening AKI.
The following steps are recommended for everyone to reduce the spread of COVID-19: (kidneyfund.org):
- Wash your hands often with soap for at least 20 seconds
- Do not touch your face, nose, and eyes
- Stay home and avoid crowds
- Keep distance between yourself and other people, at least 6 feet
- Clean and disinfect things that your or others touch often (door knobs, toilet, steering wheel,phone case).