COVID-19 is more lethal in hemodialysis chronic kidney disease patients with low physical capacity.

Abstract

The mortality rate in patients on maintenance hemodialysis (HD) is high and is associated with low functional capacity (FC). We analyzed the association of FC and COVID-19 lethality among HD patients. A cohort study that included evaluations of FC in patients on HD was underway, and the association between FC and lethality was included as an ad-hoc outcome. One hundred and twelve patients were submitted to a physical, 31 patients contracted symptomatic COVID-19, 20 recovered and 11 died (lethality rate of 35.5%). There was a difference between survivors and non-survivors on six-minutes-walking-test (6MWT) 386.1 ± 112.8 versus 296.9 ± 103.3 meters (p = 0.04), 30 s sit-to-stand test (30CST) score 11.7 ± 3.1 versus 7.7 ± 4.1 (p = 0.006), and timed up and go test (TUG) 9.4 versus 13.6 s (p = 0.009). There was also an association between percentages of predicted 6MWT, 30CST, and TUG with COVID-19 lethality. Patients on maintenance HD with poorer physical performance presented the worst prognosis from COVID-19 pandemic.