Post-COVID-19 Outcomes of Patients with Primary Glomerular Diseases: A Nationwide Controlled Study

Abstract

Background: Patients with chronic diseases such as chronic kidney disease (CKD) have been reported to have more adverse outcomes during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. There are insufficient data on the outcomes of patients with primary glomerular diseases (PGD) after COVID-19. Methods: We designed a national multicenter observational study that included adult patients with biopsy-proven PGD who survived COVID-19. A control group was created from the same centers, including PGD patients without COVID-19. The clinical and laboratory data of the patients at baseline, first, and third months after COVID-19 were recorded. Results: A total of 129 patients from 21 centers were included (COVID-19 group, n = 77). Baseline characteristics were almost similar except the ratio of active disease in the non-COVID-19 group was significantly higher than in the COVID-19 group. No patients died during the first and third months. Respiratory symptoms were significantly higher in the COVID-19 group than in the non-COVID-19 group in the first month (7.8% vs. 0%, P = .039). All other follow-up outcomes, including initiation of chronic kidney replacement therapy and initiation of new immunosuppressive treatment, and the laboratory data were not different between the groups in the first and third months. Conclusion: Primary glomerular disease patients in the post-COVID-19 period had more respiratory symptoms than non-COVID-19 PGD patients, but outcomes, including death and initiation of kidney replacement therapy, were not different in the first and third months post COVID-19.