The impact of COVID-19 infection on hemodialysis patients vs kidney transplant patients

Abstract

AIM: AS in the whole world, there has been a decrease in the number of both cadaveric and living-donor kidney transplants in our country due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aimed at comparing the data of patients who previously underwent a kidney transplant in our clinic and patients on hemodialysis treatment and were diagnosed with COVID-19 during their follow-ups to find answer to the question “Should we postpone kidney transplants during the pandemic or perform transplants as soon as possible?”.

MATERIAL AND METHOD: Among those diagnosed with COVID-19 during follow-ups between March 2020 and March 2021 and treated on an inpatient or outpatient basis, the data of patients who previously underwent a kidney transplant in Baskent University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Transplantation, Konya Practice and Research Hospital and hemodialysis patients followed up by the Nephrology Clinic were retrospectively analyzed.

RESULTS: In our study, intensive care stay (Group 1:48.8%, Group 2: 40.4%, P=.34), intubation requirement (Group 1: 35%, Group 2: 34.6%, P=.96) and mortality (Group 1: 36.3%, Group 2: 34%, P=.84) rate was higher in the hemodialysis group, although no statistically significant difference was found.

CONCLUSION: All this literature information and our study suggests that mortality rates were statistically similar or lower for transplant group. So it is unnecessary to delay kidney transplantation in patients with appropriate indications.