Throughout the pandemic, we have learned how dangerous COVID-19 can be to the respiratory system. Moreover, many COVID-19 patients developed kidney damage, but is this directly from the virus or related to the inflammation caused by illness? Discover what researchers found in their pursuit of an answer. 

What the Researchers Did

Researchers from the RWTH Uniklinik Aachen, Germany, and Radboudumc, The Netherlands investigated mini kidneys called organoids in a lab. The kidney organoids were developed from stem cells, which can form into many different types of cells. 

The researchers then infected the organoids with SARS-CoV-2. From this, they were able to observe and identify the direct effects of the virus on the kidney cells. This would allow them to determine if kidney damage was from the virus or potential secondary effects.

What They Found

After being infected with the virus, the kidney organoids demonstrated scarring and accompanied signals that contribute to the scarring process. 

“In our study, we thoroughly investigated the causal damaging effects of the Coronavirus in the kidneys. The infected kidney organoids show that the virus directly causes cell damage, independent of the immune system,” said researcher Jitske Jansen. “With this work, we found a piece of the puzzle showing the deleterious effects the virus can have in the body.”

What It Means

The results of this study support previous research done in the United States, which showed over 90,000 COVID-19 survivors experienced kidney function decline. 

“Kidney fibrosis, or scarring, is a serious long-term consequence that can occur virtually after any injury to the kidney and correlates with kidney function,” states researcher Katharina Reimer. “Our work shows kidney scarring in COVID-19 patients, which provides an explanation why the virus might cause a decline in kidney function as demonstrated in other studies. Long-term follow-up studies will provide further insights into kidney-related pathologies caused by SARS-CoV-2.”

*O’Neill, M. (2021, December 31). COVID Kidney Damage: Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 Infects the Kidneys and Contributes to Tissue Scarring. SciTechDaily. https://scitechdaily.com/covid-kidney-damage-coronavirus-sars-cov-2-infects-the-kidneys-and-contributes-to-tissue-scarring/