The novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) causes COVID-19, a respiratory disorder. Various organ injuries have been reported in response to this virus, including kidney injury and, in particular, kidney tubular injury. It has been discovered that infection with the virus does not only cause new kidney disease but also increases treatment difficulty and mortality rates in people with kidney diseases. In individuals hospitalized with COVID-19, urinary metabolites from several metabolic pathways are used to distinguish between patients with acute kidney injury (AKI) and those without. This review summarizes the pathogenesis, pathophysiology, treatment strategies, and role of metabolomics in relation to AKI in COVID-19 patients. Metabolomics is likely to play a greater role in predicting outcomes for patients with kidney disease and COVID-19 with varying levels of severity in the near future as data on metabolic profiles expand rapidly. Here, we also discuss the correlation between COVID-19 and kidney diseases and the available metabolomics approaches.
Keywords: COVID-19; kidney diseases; metabolomics; pathophysiology.