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Case Reports
. 2021 Aug 4:2021:3737751.
doi: 10.1155/2021/3737751. eCollection 2021.

COVID-19 and APOL-1 High-Risk Genotype-Associated Collapsing Glomerulonephritis

Sasmit Roy  1 , Srikanth Kunaparaju  2 , Narayana Murty Koduri  3 , Vikram Sangani  4 , Mytri Pokal  4 , Venu Madhav Konala  5 , Mamtha Balla  6 , Sreedhar Adapa  7
Affiliations
Case Reports

COVID-19 and APOL-1 High-Risk Genotype-Associated Collapsing Glomerulonephritis

Sasmit Roy et al. Case Rep Nephrol. .

Abstract

Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) primarily affects the lungs and can lead to acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). The ongoing global pandemic has created healthcare and economic crisis for almost every nation of the world. Though primarily affecting the lungs, it has also affected the kidney in various ways including acute kidney injury (AKI), proteinuria, and hematuria. It has been increasingly shown that African American (AA) individuals affected with COVID-19 and presenting with AKI and nephrotic-range proteinuria are very susceptible to focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS). The APOL-1 gene, associated with the African American population, has been increasingly recognized as a risk factor for FSGS affected with COVID-19. Our case highlights a similar case of COVID-19 in a 65-year-old AA descendant with biopsy-proven FSGS and genetically confirmed APOL-1 alleles.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Focal microcystic tubular dilatation.
Figure 2
Figure 2
No proliferative glomerular changes.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Segmental sclerosis and periglomerular fibrosis with tuft collapse.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Tubules with protein resorption droplets.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Electron microscopy showing diffuse foot process effacement (arrow).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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