Prognosis

Painless, Silent Organ Damage Seen in Covid ‘Long Hauler’ Study

  • Covid survivors are at increased risk for acute kidney injury
  • Pandemic may stoke demand for dialysis and organ transplants
Long Covid's Impact on Kidneys
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Kidney damage is painless and silent, and it’s the latest ailment to be identified afflicting a large swath of Covid-19 survivors.

Injury to the blood-filtering organ can occur among people who recover from the coronavirus at home, and escalates with the severity of Covid, a study found. Even non-hospitalized patients with no renal problems have almost a twofold higher risk of developing end-stage kidney disease, compared with someone who never had Covid.