A novel analysis documented that about one-third of US COVID-19 hospitalized patients developed AKI (acute kidney injury) syndrome. Approximately 15% of them needed dialysis. According to experts, more robust research into multiple aspects of this increasingly pivotal issue is required. Between March and April 2020, among 5449 subjects admitted to 13 Northwell Health New York-based hospitals, 36.6% of them developed AKI syndrome.

AKI disorder is closely connected with respiratory collapse and was hardly found to be a severe disorder among patients requiring no ventilation. Among ventilated patients, the kidney injury rate was found to be more in comparison with other patients as illustrated in Table 1:

AKI in COVID-19 was also associated with a poor prognosis i.e. 35% of those who developed AKI had passed away at the time of publication. Data of New York hospitals indicated that severe kidney damage was developed in around 31% of critically ill subjects requiring dialysis. Scientists of NIDDK (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) has outlined the AKI significance as the viral pandemic's sequela. 

Since numerous hospitals are expected to face COVID-19 subjects with this complication, clinicians should try to better comprehend what is occurring. There is a requisition of unraveling the natural history and heterogeneity of the kidney disorder. Extremely ill COVID-19 patients instantly develop kidney failure as their condition worsens rapidly.

Clinical trials are warranted to examine therapeutic interventions that would mitigate COVID-19–induced AKI since low kidney function is an exclusion criterion in all the current studies. Recognizing AKI development risk factors in COVID-19 subjects will be essential in helping shed more light on predictive and diagnostic biomarkers. 

Kidney biopsies from COVID-19 patients with early AKI could help us to target specific treatments to specific subgroups of patients. A NOSI (Notice of Special Interest) has been recently issued by NIDDK that has highlighted the most urgent regions in requisition of research, with one of the major goals being on the kidney.