COVID-19-related mortality in kidney transplant and dialysis patients: Results of the ERACODA collaboration

  • Luuk B. Hilbrands
  • , Raphal Duivenvoorden
  • , ERACODA Collaborators
  • , Priya Vart
  • , Casper F.M. Franssen
  • , Marc H. Hemmelder
  • , Kitty J. Jager
  • , Lyanne M. Kieneker
  • , Marlies Noordzij
  • , Michelle J. Pena
  • , Hanne de Vries
  • , David Arroyo
  • , Adrian Covic
  • , Marta Crespo
  • , Eric Goffin
  • , Mahmud Islam
  • , Ziad A. Massy
  • , Nuria Montero
  • , João P. Oliveira
  • , Ana Roca Muñoz
  • J. Emilio Sanchez, Sivakumar Sridharan, Rebecca Winzeler, Ron T. Gansevoort*
*Corresponding author for this work

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Abstract

Background. Patients on kidney replacement therapy comprise a vulnerable population and may be at increased risk of death from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Currently, only limited data are available on outcomes in this patient population. Methods. We set up the ERACODA (European Renal Association COVID-19 Database) database, which is specifically designed to prospectively collect detailed data on kidney transplant and dialysis patients with COVID-19. For this analysis, patients were included who presented between 1 February and 1 May 2020 and had complete information available on the primary outcome parameter, 28-day mortality. Results. Of the 1073 patients enrolled, 305 (28%) were kidney transplant and 768 (72%) dialysis patients with a mean age of 60 6 13 and 67 6 14 years, respectively. The 28-day probability of death was 21.3% [95% confidence interval (95% CI) 14.3–30.2%] in kidney transplant and 25.0% (95% CI 20.2–30.0%) in dialysis patients. Mortality was primarily associated with advanced age in kidney transplant patients, and with age and frailty in dialysis patients. After adjusting for sex, age and frailty, in-hospital mortality did not significantly differ between transplant and dialysis patients [hazard ratio (HR) 0.81, 95% CI 0.59–1.10, P ¼ 0.18]. In the subset of dialysis patients who were a candidate for transplantation (n ¼ 148), 8 patients died within 28 days, as compared with 7 deaths in 23 patients who underwent a kidney transplantation <1 year before presentation (HR adjusted for sex, age and frailty 0.20, 95% CI 0.07–0.56, P < 0.01). Conclusions. The 28-day case-fatality rate is high in patients on kidney replacement therapy with COVID-19 and is primarily driven by the risk factors age and frailty. Furthermore, in the first year after kidney transplantation, patients may be at increased risk of COVID-19-related mortality as compared with dialysis patients on the waiting list for transplantation. This information is important in guiding clinical decision-making, and for informing the public and healthcare authorities on the COVID-19-related mortality risk in kidney transplant and dialysis patients.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1973-1983
Number of pages11
JournalNephrology Dialysis Transplantation
Volume35
Issue number11
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Nov 2020

Bibliographical note

FUNDING
The ERACODA Consortium is financially supported by unrestricted grants from the ERA-EDTA, the Dutch Kidney Foundation, Baxter and Sandoz. None of these organizations
had any role in the design or execution of the study, nor in
writing of the manuscript.

Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2020. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of ERA-EDTA. All rights reserved.

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