Evaluation of Urine SARS-COV-2 RT-PCR as a predictor of Acute Kidney Injury and disease severity in critical COVID-19 patients

The novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is an emerging infectious disease caused by SARS-CoV-2, which began as an outbreak in Wuhan, China and spread rapidly throughout the globe. Although the majority of infections are mild, severe and critical COVID-19 patients face deterioration of respiratory function, and may also present extrapulmonary manifestations, mostly affecting the kidney, digestive tract, heart and nervous system. Here, we prospectively evaluated the presence of SARS-CoV-2 genetic material by RT-PCR in urine samples obtained from critical care COVID-19 patients. In 51 patients included, we found higher serum creatinine levels, a longer hospital stay and a more frequent dialysis need in urine-positive patients. These findings could suggest that, in predisposed patients, a direct viral cytopathic effect may contribute to a more severe disease phenotype.