KIDney Injury in Times of COVID-19 (KIDCOV)

There is an unmet need to evaluate the impact of sub-clinical/mild COVID19 disease in the outpatient setting on prevalent and incident renal injury, as this data is currently unavailable. To capture the diversity of race/ethnic risk and COVID19 related municipal shelter-in-place guidance, the investigators will enroll COVID19-negative and COVID19-positive samples balanced by race/ethnicity from 3 different states, California, Michigan, and Illinois. Study endpoints will be assayed from urine samples mailed to the study team at 2, 6, and 12 months after their date of PCR test, with no requirement for these individuals to leave their homes to participate.

KIDCOV is a longitudinal cohort study that will prospectively follow cohorts of COVID19-negative and COVID19-positive adults for episodes of kidney injury over a 12-months period. Study candidates will be identified via site-specific electronic medical records (EMR) at seven academic medical centers in the U.S. within 4 weeks of a PCR-based test for SARS-Cov2. Screen-positive individuals will be contacted by email or text and invited to complete an online consent form documenting their willingness to participate. Participation will involve completion of questionnaires and return of urine samples in mailed collection kits at 2, 6, and 12 months after their date of PCR test. The primary endpoint will be the urine-based KIT Score, based on the composite measurement of multiple DNA, protein and metabolite urinary biomarkers (reference). Secondary endpoints include NGAL and KIM-1 urinary biomarkers for kidney injury assessment.

Early detection of new or worsening kidney injury is urgently needed in order to implement preventative measures and target therapeutics that can minimize excess post-COVID19 kidney damage. A complete and standardized understanding of the trajectory and risk factors for kidney injury associated with COVID19+ disease is critical to informing the design and implementation of preventative and therapeutic strategies for COVID19-mediated kidney injury.