Related Experiment Video
Updated: Dec 18, 2025
Murine Kidney Transplant Technique
Published on: October 20, 2015
Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) in Kidney and Liver Transplant Patients: A Single-Center Experience
Aydincan Akdur1, Emre Karakaya, Ebru H Ayvazoglu Soy
1From the Department of General Surgery, Division of Transplantation, Baskent University, Ankara, Turkey.
Insights
Organ transplant recipients had a low frequency of COVID-19 infection during the pandemic. Close monitoring and hygiene are recommended for kidney and liver transplant patients to minimize COVID-19 risks.
Area of Science:
- Medicine
- Virology
- Transplant Surgery
Background:
- The COVID-19 pandemic, caused by the novel coronavirus, poses risks to vulnerable populations.
- Solid-organ transplant recipients may have a higher susceptibility to severe COVID-19 outcomes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the frequency of COVID-19 infection in kidney and liver transplant recipients.
- To assess the impact of the pandemic on this patient cohort.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of 583 kidney and liver transplant patients between March 1 and May 1, 2020.
- Evaluation of demographic data, immunosuppressive treatments, symptoms, comorbidities, and COVID-19 test results.
Main Results:
- Only one kidney transplant recipient tested positive for COVID-19, with no associated mortality.
- The overall incidence of COVID-19 in transplant patients was not significantly higher than in the general population.
Conclusions:
- Transplant patients were affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the infection rate was comparable to the general population.
- Recommendations include enhanced personal hygiene, close monitoring by transplant centers, and isolated care for hospitalized patients.
Objectives:
The novel 2019 coronavirus (COVID-19) was first described in December 2019 in Wuhan, China and subsequently announced as a pandemic on March 12, 2020. In several studies, solid-organ transplant recipients were reported to have higher risk for COVID-19. Here, we aimed to determine the frequency of COVID-19 in our kidney and liver transplant patients.
Materials And Methods:
Our study included 583 transplant patients who were admitted to our outpatient transplant clinics and emergency departments between March 1 and May 1, 2020. Seventy-four of them were liver transplant recipients (46 male, 28 female, of which 14 were pediatric and 60 were adult patients) and 509 of them were kidney transplant recipients (347 male, 162 female, of which 16 were pediatric and 493 were adult patients). We retrospectively evaluated demographic characteristics, currently used immunosuppressant treatment, present complaints, treatment and diagnosis of comorbid diseases, and results of COVID-19 tests.
Results:
Of 583 transplant recipients, 538 were seen in our outpatient transplant clinics and 45 were seen in our emergency departments. Of these, 18 patients who had had cough and fever were evaluated by respiratory clinic doctors, and nasopharyngeal swab samples were taken. One kidney transplant recipient had a positive COVID-19 test; he was followed with home isolation. He received treatment with hydroxychloroquine (400 mg/day). The other 17 patients had negative tests. There were no mortalities due to COVID-19.
Conclusions:
Transplant patients also got affected during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the data of our centers, this effect is not much more different from the normal population. We recommend that transplant recipients should be warned in terms of personal hygiene and should be closely monitored by organ transplant centers. If there is an indication for hospitalization, they should be followed in an isolated unit, with no aggressive changes made to immunosuppressive doses unless necessary.
Related Concept Videos
01:28Kidney Transplant I: Introduction
01:26Kidney Transplant II: Surgical Procedure
01:16Kidney Transplant III: Nursing Management
01:30Acute Kidney Injury IV: Diagnostic Studies and Prevention
01:24Chronic Kidney Disease II: Clinical Manifestations
01:25Chronic Kidney Disease I: Introduction