泌尿器科の側面からCOVID-19について　:　 Q&A

最終更新日： 2026年8月30日

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A note on this article. It was written in May 2020, in the first months of the pandemic, and it reflects what was known and recommended at that time. It is kept here as a record of that period rather than as current guidance. Much has changed since — vaccines, treatments, and the return of normal surgical scheduling among them — so please do not read the answers below as advice for today. If you have a urological question now, ask a urologist now.

By this point everyone had heard of COVID-19, or SARS-CoV-2 — the novel respiratory infection first identified in Wuhan, China. A great many patients were asking me the same question: does this virus affect the urinary tract? Here is what the evidence looked like as of 29 April 2020.

Can the virus attack the urinary tract?

Yes. SARS-CoV-2 enters cells through the ACE2 (angiotensin-converting enzyme 2) receptor, which is found not only in the lung and heart but also in the oesophagus, ileum, urinary bladder and kidney — so the urinary tract is a potential target.

What happens if the urinary tract is affected?

It can cause acute kidney injury, ranging from mild to severe, with protein or blood detectable in the urine. Notably, kidney involvement during SARS-CoV-2 infection was associated with a significantly higher mortality rate than in patients without it.

Can the virus be detected in urine or semen?

On the literature available in April 2020, SARS-CoV-2 was only rarely detected in urine, and no viral load had been demonstrated in semen. The conclusion drawn at the time was that the virus was not transmitted through sexual fluids themselves — though close contact still carried the usual respiratory risk, which was the real reason distancing mattered. This was an early-pandemic finding based on small studies; later work has refined the picture, so treat it as a snapshot of April 2020 rather than a settled answer.

Does COVID-19 cause urinary tract infections?

No. There was no evidence of transmission through urine, and ordinary urinary tract infections are bacterial rather than viral.

Could routine urological procedures go ahead?

This is the answer most tied to its moment. In 2020, with a novel virus and very limited transmission data, the advice was to postpone benign urological surgery until the pandemic was under control, prioritising emergency and life-threatening oncological cases, which could proceed with strict preoperative screening. That was pandemic-era guidance and no longer applies — elective urological surgery has long since returned to normal scheduling.

Looking back at what I wrote then: it was not only health systems under strain, but economies, supply chains and ordinary daily life. Reading it now, the striking thing is how much was still unknown — which is exactly why it is worth keeping the record rather than quietly deleting it.

If you have urological concerns or questions about kidney health after a COVID-19 infection, Dr. Soarawee Weerasopone offers specialist consultations at Bangkok Hospital Headquarters — assessed on today’s evidence rather than on the 2020 picture recorded above. 診療をご予約. サミティウェート・シーラチャ病院のご予約は、泌尿器科（電話番号：）までお問い合わせください。 088-022-1445. 診察や治療の費用に関するご質問は病院に直接お問い合わせください。バンコク病院の場合は、Eメール（宛先： bhquro@bdms.co.th.

バンコク病院では、泌尿器科にあらかじめメールで手配する遠隔医療サービスも行っています。 bhquro@bdms.co.th. Samitivej Sriracha is in-person only.

免責事項 This content is written and reviewed by Dr. Soarawee Weerasopone, a board-certified urologist at Bangkok Hospital Headquarters. It is intended for educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. This particular article dates from May 2020 and is retained as a historical record; it should not be relied on as current clinical guidance, and nothing in it should be used to make a decision today. No medical advice, diagnosis or prescription is provided through personal messaging channels or social media. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before starting any medical treatment. In an emergency, attend the nearest emergency department — in Thailand the emergency number is 1669.