SARS-CoV-2 Infection in a Spanish Cohort of CKD-5D Patients: Prevalence, Clinical Presentation, Outcomes, and...

COVID-19 is a highly contagious disease that has easily spread worldwide. Outpatient maintenance hemodialysis seems to entail an increased risk of contagion, and previous reports inform of increased mortality among this population.

We retrospectively analyzed clinical and laboratory parameters, outcomes, and management once discharged of CKD-5D patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 from our health area.

Out of the 429 CKD-5D population, 36 were diagnosed with SARS-CoV-2 infection (8%): 34 on in-center hemodialysis and 2 on peritoneal dialysis. Five were asymptomatic. The most common symptom was fever (70%), followed by dyspnea and cough. History of cardiovascular disease and elevation of LDH and C-reactive protein during admission were associated with higher mortality. Thirteen patients died (36%), 8 patients were admitted to an ICU, and survival was low (38%) among the latter. The mean time to death was 12 days. Most discharged patients got negative rRT-PCR in nasopharyngeal swabs within 26 days of diagnosis. However, there is a portion of cured patients that continue to have positive results even more than 2 months after the initial presentation.

Patients on dialysis have an increased mortality risk if infected with SARS-CoV-2. Preventive measures have proven useful. Thus, proper ones, such as universal screening of the population and isolation when required, need to be generalized. Better de-isolation criteria are necessary to ensure an appropriate use of public health resources.