A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of the Incidence Rate of Major Adverse Kidney Events Following COVID-19 Infection

This systematic review and meta-analysis investigated the incidence of major adverse kidney events (MAKE) in patients following COVID-19 infection.A comprehensive literature search was conducted using PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and CINAHL databases from their inception to July 18, 2022.Eleven studies met the inclusion criteria.The methodological quality of each study was evaluated using the modified Leboeuf-Yde and Lauritsen tool.Random-effects meta-analysis revealed a pooled MAKE incidence of 6.16 per 100 persons (95% CI: 3.01-12.21).Death had an incidence of 4.28 (95% CI: 2.18-8.26),kidney failure had an incidence of 1.49 (95% CI: 0.27-7.77),initiation of renal replacement therapy had an incidence of 3.54 (95% CI: 0.00-98.43),and worsening of renal function tests had an incidence of 21.82 (95% CI: 0.05-99.42).The analyses revealed high heterogeneity among the pooled data, with I 2 values ranging from 88.5-99.8%.Begg's funnel plot indicated the absence of publication bias.The overall findings suggest that the incidence of MAKE following COVID-19 infection in the general population is higher than expected, highlighting the importance of monitoring kidney disease during postacute care.Notably, the extreme heterogeneity observed in the data and limited number of studies included in the analysis warrant further research to determine the occurrence of MAKE after COVID-19 infection in different geographical regions and to compare risk with appropriate controls.