Renal Infarction in SARS-CoV-2 Infection: A Case Report

TL;DR

A 45-year-old man with high blood pressure developed kidney damage and a kidney infarction during a severe case of COVID-19, which was successfully treated with anticoagulant therapy.

Contribution

This case report highlights renal infarction as a rare but serious complication of SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Findings

A patient with COVID-19 and hypertension presented with acute kidney injury and renal infarction.

Treatment with novel oral anticoagulation led to recovery and stable kidney function post-discharge.

Abstract

The novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an infectious disease caused by SARS-CoV-2 and associated with a wide spectrum of clinical manifestations ranging from asymptomatic carrier states to fulminant respiratory distress and multiple organ dysfunction. The intravascular arterial and venous thrombotic phenomena are one of the most prevalent and devastating consequences and tend to occur in patients with a severe disease state. Here we present a 45-year-old male with a medical history of essential hypertension (HTN) who presented with severe left flank pain accompanied by dry cough and fever for five days. He was found to have acute kidney injury (AKI) with concomitant renal infarction in computed tomography angiography (CTA) in the setting of a COVID-19 infection. He was eventually managed with novel oral anticoagulation (NOAC) and was discharged after a short hospital stay. Follow-up thereafter showed stable baseline renal function with no relevant symptoms.

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