Clinical features and short-term outcomes of patients with membranous nephropathy complicated with COVID-19

Objective To evaluate the effect of COVID-19 in patients with membranous nephropathy (MN).

Methods From December 15, 2022 to January 6, 2023, retrospective review was performed for personal demographics, clinical symptoms and treatment outcomes of 61 MN patients with COVID-19.

Results  There were 40 males and 21 females with a mean age of (51.7±12.8) year. And 31 cases (50.8%) achieved clinical remission and 51 (83.60%) had received two or more doses of COVID-19 vaccine. After an infection of COVID-19, MN patients presented multi-system clinical symptoms. Top three were fever (78.7%), cough & sputum (52.5%) and fatigue (44.3%). Twelve patients (19.7%) had only one symptom and 41 cases (67.2%) had three or more symptoms. According to the Diagnostic and Therapeutic Protocol for Novel Coronavirus Infection (Trial Edition X), 58 cases (95.1%) were mild and 3 (4.9%) medium. MN patients with COVID-19 were treated mostly symptomatically. Within 1 month after COVID-19, most patients stabilized. Only 1 case relapsed and another developed acute kidney injury.

Conclusions MN patients with COVID-19 have milder clinical symptoms and better short-term outcomes.