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

Eric Goffin, Alexandre Candellier, Priya Vart, Marlies Noordzij, Miha Arnol, Adrian Covic, Paolo Lentini, Shafi Malik, Louis J. Reichert, Mehmet S. Sever, Bruno Watschinger, Kitty J. Jager, Ron T. Gansevoort*, ERACODA Collaborators, Jeroen B. van der Net, Marie Essig, Peggy W. G. du Buf-Vereijken, Betty van Ginneken, Liffert Vogt, Brigit C. van JaarsveldFrederike J. Bemelman, Farah Klingenberg-Salahova, Frederiek Heenan-Vos, Marc G. Vervloet, Azam Nurmohamed, Daniel Abramowicz, Sabine Verhofstede, Omar Maoujoud, Thomas Malfait, B. Braun Avitum, Jana Fialova, Edoardo Melilli, Alexandre Favà, Josep M. Cruzado, Nuria Montero Perez, Joy Lips, Harmen Krepel, Harun Adilovic, Maaike Hengst, Andrzej Rydzewski, Ryszard Gellert, João Oliveira, Daniela G. Alferes, Elena V. Zakharova, Patrice Max Ambuehl, Andrea Walker, Rebecca Winzeler, Fanny Lepeytre, Clémentine Rabaté, Guy Rostoker, Sofia Marques, Tijana Azasevac, Dajana Katicic, Marc ten Dam, Thilo Krüger, Szymon Brzosko, Adriaan L. Zanen, Susan J. J. Logtenberg, Lutz Fricke, Jeroen J. P. Slebe, Delphine Kemlin, Jacqueline van de Wetering, Marlies E. J. Reinders, Jaromir Eiselt, Lukas Kielberger, Hala S. el-Wakil, Martine A. M. Verhoeven, Cristina Canal, Carme Facundo, Ana M. Ramos, Alicja Debska-Slizien, Nicoline M. H. Veldhuizen, Eirini Tigka, Maria Anna Polyzou Konsta, Stylianos Panagoutsos, Francesca Mallamaci, Irina Matceac, Ionut Nistor, Monica Cordos, J. H. M. Groeneveld, Jolanda Jousma, Marjolijn van Buren, Samar Abd Elhafeez, Fritz Diekmann, Tiago Assis Pereira, Augusto Cesar S. Santos, Carlos Arias-Cabrales, Marta Crespo, Laura Llinàs-Mallol, Anna Buxeda, Carla Burballa Tàrrega, Dolores Redondo-Pachon, Maria Dolores Arenas Jimenez, Julia M. Hofstra, Antonio Franco, David Arroyo, Maria Luisa Rodríguez-Ferrero, Sagrario Balda Manzanos, R. Haridian Sosa Barrios, Gonçalo Ávila, Ivo Laranjinha, Catarina Mateus, Wim Lemahieu, Ahmet Burak Dirim, Erol Demir, Seda Å afak, Aydin Turkmen, Daan A. M. J. Hollander, Stefan Büttner, Aiko P. J. de Vries, Soufian Meziyerh, Danny van der Helm, Marko Mallat, Hanneke Bouwsma, Sivakumar Sridharan, Kristina Petruliene, Sharon-Rose Maloney, Iris Verberk, Frank M. van der Sande, Maarten H. L. Christiaans, Marc Hemmelder, Mohan N. Kumar, Marina di Luca, Serhan Z. Tuǧlular, Andrea Kramer, Charles Beerenhout, Peter T. Luik, Julia Kerschbaum, Martin Tiefenthaler, Aaltje Y. Adema, Vadim A. Stepanov, Alexey B. Zulkarnaev, Kultigin Turkmen, Anselm Fliedner, Anders Åsberg, Geir Mjoen, Hitoshi Miyasato, Carola W. H. de Fijter, Nicola Mongera, Stefano Pini, Consuelo de Biase, Raphaël Duivenvoorden, Luuk Hilbrands, Angele Kerckhoffs, Rutger Maas, Olga Lebedeva, Veronica Lopez, Jacobien Verhave, Denis Titov, Ekaterina V. Parshina, Luca Zanoli, Carmelita Marcantoni, Liesbeth E. A. van Gils-Verrij, John C. Harty, Marleen Meurs, Marek Myslak, Yuri Battaglia, Edwin den Deurwaarder, Maria Stendahl, Hormat Rahimzadeh, Marcel Schouten, Ivan Rychlik, Carlos J. Cabezas-Reina, Ana Maria Roca, Ferdau Nauta, Nada Kanaan, Laura Labriola, Arnaud Devresse, Anabel Diaz-Mareque, Armando Coca, Björn K. I. Meijers, Maarten Naesens, Dirk Kuypers, Bruno Desschans, Annelies Tonnelier, Karl M. Wissing, Gabriel de Arriba, Ivana Dedinska, Giuseppina Pessolano, Ilaria Gandolfini, Umberto Maggiore, Evangelos Papachristou, Casper F. M. Franssen, Stefan P. Berger, Esther Meijer, Akin Özyilmaz, Jan Stephan F. Sanders, Jadranka Buturović Ponikvar, Andreja Marn Pernat, Damjan Kovac, Robert Ekart, Alferso C. Abrahams, Femke M. Molenaar, Arjan D. van Zuilen, Sabine C. A. Meijvis, Helma Dolmans, Ekamol Tantisattamos, Pasquale Esposito, Jean-Marie Krzesinski, Jean Damacène Barahira, Maurizio Gallieni, Gianmarco Sabiu, Paloma Leticia Martin-Moreno, Gabriele Guglielmetti, Gabriella Guzzo, Nestor Toapanta, Antinus J. Luik, Willi H. M. van Kuijk, Lonneke W. H. Stikkelbroeck, Marc M. H. Hermans, Laurynas Rimsevicius, Marco Righetti, Mahmud Islam, Nicole Heitink-Ter Braak

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has exposed haemodialysis (HD) patients and kidney transplant (KT) recipients to an unprecedented life-threatening infectious disease, raising concerns about kidney replacement therapy (KRT) strategy during the pandemic. This study investigated the association of the type of KRT with COVID-19 severity, adjusting for differences in individual characteristics. Methods: Data on KT recipients and HD patients diagnosed with COVID-19 between 1 February 2020 and 1 December 2020 were retrieved from the European Renal Association COVID-19 Database. Cox regression models adjusted for age, sex, frailty and comorbidities were used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) for 28-day mortality risk in all patients and in the subsets that were tested because of symptoms. Results: A total of 1670 patients (496 functional KT and 1174 HD) were included; 16.9% of KT and 23.9% of HD patients died within 28 days of presentation. The unadjusted 28-day mortality risk was 33% lower in KT recipients compared with HD patients {HR 0.67 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.52-0.85]}. In a fully adjusted model, the risk was 78% higher in KT recipients [HR 1.78 (95% CI 1.22-2.61)] compared with HD 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, intensive care unit admission and mortality >28 days) and across subgroups. Conclusions: KT recipients had a greater risk of a more severe course of COVID-19 compared with HD patients, therefore they require specific infection mitigation strategies.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)2094-2105
Number of pages12
JournalNephrology, Dialysis, Transplantation
Volume36
Issue number11
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Nov 2021

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