Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been associated with acute kidney injury in kidney transplant recipients by several mechanisms. The authors report a case of acute kidney allograft dysfunction in a 48-year-old patient who presented in the emergency room with anasarca and nephrotic syndrome close after mild COVID-19 and no other clinical condition. Histopathology of the allograft biopsy revealed two distinct and simultaneous kidney lesions, collapsing glomerulopathy and thrombotic microangiopathy. Renal function persistently deteriorated, and definitive dialysis was initiated. After excluding other plausible causes for the findings, this case strengthens the hypothesis that the kidney allograft is also a target of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).
Keywords: acute thrombotic microangiopathy; collapsing glomerulopathy; covid-19; kidney transplantation; renal allograft dysfunction.
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