Clinical Characteristics and Short-Term Outcomes of ESKD Patients Undergoing Hemodialysis with COVID-19 Infection in Madurai, South India

Objective: Novel coronavirus disease-19 is spreading rapidly, and therefore, optimal management of the disease in endstage kidney disease patients requiring hemodialysis is not fully explained. We report the clinical characteristics and the short-term outcomes in patients with end-stage renal disease who require hospitalization for coronavirus disease-19 and who underwent hemodialysis.

Methods: In this retrospective, observational, single-center study, we analyzed the clinical course and outcomes of 116 consecutive end-stage kidney disease patients hospitalized with laboratory-confirmed coronavirus disease-19 who underwent at least 1 hemodialysis session in our hospital between June 26 and August 10, 2020. Baseline clinical features, laboratory data, and treatment given were compared between survivors and non-survivors to identify risk factors associated with mortality.

Results: Among the 116 patients who were enrolled in our study, males constituted 81% (n = 94). Many had underlying comorbidities, of which hypertension (90.4%) was the most common. The most common symptoms were fever (76.1%), dyspnoea (61.2%), cough (58.6%), and diarrhea (18.1%). In total, 66.4% of patients had arteriovenous fistula or grafts. Inflammatory markers like C-reactive protein and serum ferritin were significantly higher in non-survivors group. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that dialysis vintage less than 6 months was the most important predictor for mortality. Mortality was 27.5% in our cohort.

Conclusion: Mortality among hospitalized end-stage kidney disease patients who underwent hemodialysis was higher when compared to the general population. The presence of comorbid conditions like hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and pre-existing pulmonary disease had a poor prognosis. Patients having central venous catheters as their dialysis access had a poor prognosis. Dialysis vintage less than 6 months was the most important predictor of mortality.
Cite this article as: Varghese B, Raja N, Rajagopalan A, et al. Clinical characteristics and short-term outcomes of ESKD patients undergoing hemodialysis with COVID-19 infection in Madurai, South India. Turk J Nephrol. 2022;31(1):17-22.