COVID-19 is a complex disease with wide spectrum of clinical patterns and an emerging problem for nephrologist

Abstract

Implication for health policy/practice/research/medical education: In December 2019, an outbreak of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) due to the novel SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2) virus began in China and spread rapidly worldwide. After China, Italy is the country with the highest number of cases so far. There are only limited data on COVID-19 in patients affected by chronic kidney disease. Herein, we report the outcomes of two patients with COVID-19 pneumonia who required renal replacement therapy. It is unknown whether hemodialysis patients represent a distinct group of patients with certain characteristics that may make them susceptible to infection or severe disease. In this letter, we describe our clinical experience with COVID-19 patients.