The clinical course of COVID-19 in hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) recipients.

Karataş, Ayşe; Malkan, Ümit Yavuz; Velet, Mustafa; Demiroğlu, Haluk; Büyükaşik, Yahya; Telli Dizman, Gülçin; Inkaya, Ahmet Çağkan; Erdoğdu, Batuhan; Çinar, Olgu Erkin; Aladağ Karakulak, Elifcan; Aksu, Salih; Haznedaroğlu, Ibrahim Celalettin; Özcebe, Osman Ilhami; Sayinalp, Nilgün; Göker, Hakan

BACKGROUND/AIM The disease caused by SARS-CoV-2 was named as COVID-19. There is as yet insufficient information about the effects of HSCT on the clinical course of COVID-19. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the clinical course of COVID-19 in patients who had undergone HSCT. MATERIALS AND METHODS We analyzed baseline characteristics, clinical course and findings of COVID-19, hospitalization and death rates, overall survival and case fatality rates of HSCT recipients diagnosed with COVID-19 retrospectively. RESULTS 57.6% of the patients underwent AHSCT, and 42.4% underwent allo-HSCT. 60.6%, 27.3%, and 12.1% of the patients had mild, moderate and severe COVID-19 or critical illness, respectively. 45.5% were hospitalized, and 12.1% required intensive care. 9.1% necessitated invasive mechanical ventilation. The total CFR was 9.1% in HSCT recipients, 22.2% in patients with active hematologic malignancy and 4.2% in patients without active hematologic malignancy. CONCLUSION It can be concluded that mortality of HSCT recipients is lower in patients whose primary disease is in remission compared to ones that are not in remission. Further studies with larger group patients are needed in order to delineate the effects of COVID-19 on HSCT patients.