COVID-19 related mortality in kidney transplant and hemodialysis patients: a comparative, prospective registry based study

Goffin, Eric; Candellier, Alexandre; Vart, Priya; Noordzij, Marlies; Arnol, Miha; Covic, Adrian; Lentini, Paolo; Malik, Shafi; Reichert, Louis J; Sever, Mehmet S; Watschinger, Bruno; Jager, Kitty J; Gansevoort, Ron T

BACKGROUND: COVID-19 has exposed hemodialysis patients and kidney transplant recipients to an unprecedented life-threatening infectious disease raising concerns about kidney replacement therapy (KRT) strategy during the pandemic. The present study investigated the association of type of KRT with COVID-19 severity adjusting for differences in individual characteristics. METHODS: Data on kidney transplant recipients and hemodialysis patients diagnosed with COVID-19 between February 1(st) and December 1(st) 2020 were retrieved from ERACODA. Cox regression models adjusted for age, sex, frailty and comorbidities were used to estimate hazard ratios (HR) for 28-day mortality risk in all patients and in the subsets who were tested because of symptoms RESULTS: In total, 1,670 patients (496 functional kidney transplant and 1,174 hemodialysis) were included. 16.9% of kidney transplant and 23.9% of hemodialysis patients died within 28 days of presentation. The unadjusted 28-day mortality risk was 33% lower in kidney transplant recipients compared with hemodialysis patients (HR: 0.67, 95%CI: 0.52-0.85). In a fully adjusted model, the risk was 78% higher in kidney transplant recipients (HR: 1.78, 95%CI: 1.22-2.61) compared with hemodialysis patients. This association was similar in patients tested because of symptoms (fully adjusted model HR: 2.00, 95%CI: 1.31-3.06). This risk was dramatically increased during the first post-transplant year. Results were similar for other endpoints (e.g. hospitalization, ICU admission, mortality beyond 28 days) and across subgroups. CONCLUSIONS: Kidney transplant recipients had a greater risk of a more severe course of COVID-19 compared with hemodialysis patients; they therefore require specific infection mitigation strategies.