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Clinical outcomes of COVID-19 in hemodialysis patients
Lina Adwan1, Tala Al-Sadi1, Shorouq Shawakha1
1Department of Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy Nursing and Health Professions, Birzeit University, Birzeit, Palestine.
Insights
COVID-19 significantly increased mortality in hemodialysis patients. Comorbidities like hypertension and diabetes impacted dialysis frequency post-infection. Protecting dialysis patients and managing their conditions is crucial.
Area of Science:
- Nephrology
- Infectious Diseases
- Public Health
Background:
- Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) primarily affects the respiratory system but also impacts other organs, including kidneys.
- Growing evidence indicates adverse outcomes and complications of COVID-19 in kidney patients.
- Hemodialysis patients face unique risks due to their compromised health status.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effects of COVID-19 on hemodialysis patients at Palestine Medical Complex (PMC).
- To identify risk factors associated with mortality in this vulnerable population.
- To understand the impact of COVID-19 on dialysis frequency and patient outcomes.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective data collection from electronic medical records at PMC's dialysis department (January 2020 - April 2022).
- Inclusion of all PMC hemodialysis patients diagnosed with COVID-19.
- Analysis of patient demographics, clinical features, laboratory tests (BUN, SCr, calcium), dialysis frequency, comorbidities, and outcomes.
Main Results:
- COVID-19 infection led to significant adverse outcomes and a high mortality rate (approximately one-third) among hemodialysis patients.
- Patient outcomes and dialysis frequency were influenced by blood urea nitrogen, serum creatinine, and calcium levels.
- Comorbidities such as hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and myocardial infarction affected dialysis frequency post-COVID-19.
Conclusions:
- Hemodialysis patients exhibit a high mortality rate when infected with COVID-19.
- The presence of comorbidities significantly impacts dialysis frequency following COVID-19 infection.
- Protecting hemodialysis patients from infections and managing their comorbidities are critical for improving survival and care.
Background:
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is known for its effects on the respiratory system. Three years after the pandemic morbid and mortal consequences, growing evidence is showing that the disease also has adverse outcomes and complications on additional organs including the kidneys. This study aims at investigating the effects of COVID-19 on hemodialysis patients receiving services at Palestine Medical Complex (PMC) kidney dialysis department, and to identify mortality related risk factors.
Methods:
In April 2022, data was collected using the electronic medical records system for the dialysis department at PMC. The study included all PMC hemodialysis patients that were infected with COVID-19 between January 2020-April 2022. The collected data included patient demographics, clinical features, laboratory tests, dialysis frequency and the disease outcome.
Results:
The results showed that the patients' outcomes and dialysis frequency were impacted by their blood urea nitrogen (BUN), serum creatinine (SCr) and calcium levels. About one third of the study population died after being infected with COVID-19. The frequency of dialysis was also affected by the presence of comorbidities like hypertension, diabetes mellitus (DM) and myocardial infarction (MI).
Conclusion:
This study found that there was a high mortality rate within the hemodialysis patients infected with COVID-19. Having comorbidities affected the frequency of dialysis following COVID-19 infection. Dialysis patients should be protected from infections such as COVID-19 and their comorbidities should be monitored and kept under control as much as possible.
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