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Case Reports
. 2023 Aug 16;15(8):e43558.
doi: 10.7759/cureus.43558. eCollection 2023 Aug.

COVID-19-Associated Nephropathy: A Devastating Complication

Andrew Kim  1 , Abdullahi Mahgoub  1 , Abinash Parajuli  1 , Basim Towfiq  1
Affiliations
Case Reports

COVID-19-Associated Nephropathy: A Devastating Complication

Andrew Kim et al. Cureus. .

Abstract

With the rapid emergence and prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 worldwide, cases of COVID-19-associated nephropathy (COVAN) from collapsing focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (cFSGS) have been reported, and the associations between the two are actively being studied. Creating appropriate treatment guidelines for COVAN requires further understanding of the pathophysiology of this type of kidney injury. This case report outlines the case of a 77-year-old patient admitted to the hospital for COVID-19 infection with a subsequent renal biopsy indicating cFSGS, adding to the data exploring the relationship between COVID-19 infections, cFSGS and the associated risk factors. Current guidelines on the treatment of COVAN are similar to those of other causes of cFSGS but continue to have poor outcomes and resistance to treatments. Further research needs to be done on both the clinical assessment and pathophysiology of COVAN to provide timely and life-saving interventions.

Keywords: collapsing fsgs; covan; covid-19; glomerulosclerosis; nephropathy; nephrotic; sars-cov-2.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Kidney biopsy of patient (A) indicates characteristics of cFSGS, including extensive obliterated glomerular tufts (top left arrow) and collapse of the basement membrane (bottom right arrow).
Normal glomerulus (B) obtained from an outside source [5].
Figure 2
Figure 2. Microcystic tubular dilation is associated with virus-associated nephropathy.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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