Long‐term effects of COVID‐19 in a patient on maintenance dialysis

Alfano, Gaetano; Perrone, Rossella; Fontana, Francesco; Mori, Giacomo; Lucchi, Leonardo; Guaraldi, Giovanni; Magistroni, Riccardo; Cappelli, Gianni

Coronavirus infectious disease (COVID‐19) is a novel respiratory infection highly associated with severe complications in elderly subjects affected by cardiovascular disease. Patients on maintenance dialysis are exceptionally vulnerable because most of them are old and have multiple comorbidities. We report the complex clinical course of SARS‐CoV‐2 infection in a patient on maintenance dialysis who presented with fever and lung edema. After 41 days from the primary infection, the clinically recovered patient experienced symptomatic reactivation of SARS‐COV‐2 infection documented by positive polymerase chain reaction (PCR) result on nasal/oropharyngeal swab with immunoglobulin M seroconversion. The recurrence of PCR positivity forced us to perform hemodialysis in a separate isolation room for a prolonged period of time. Close monitoring of previously infected patients and restructuring of dialysis facilities are necessary to avoid new outbreaks of this concerning disease.