SARS-CoV-2 in Kidney Transplant Recipients: A Systematic Review

Naveen Kumar,Devinder Singh Rana,Mohinder Pal Sachdeva,Rashmi Rana,Anurag Gupta

doi:10.3390/transplantology3010004

Naveen Kumar, Devinder Singh Rana + Show 3 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/transplantology3010004

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Journal: Transplantology	Publication Date: Jan 20, 2022
Citations: 3	License type: CC BY 4.0

Affiliation: Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, University of Delhi

Abstract

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has become a global healthcare crisis. Kidney transplant (KTx) patients and the patients with chronic kidney disease are two of the most vulnerable populations to the risks of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). A systematic literature search on PubMed and Web of Science was conducted. We analyzed published case reports, case series and articles on COVID-19’s clinical presentation, management, outcomes and vaccination among kidney transplant recipients. A total of 33 studies were included in the study, which included 1676 KTx recipients and 108 waiting list patients infected with COVID-19. These studies reported the clinical presentation, management and immunosuppressive adjustment among the KTx recipients. The remaining studies focused on other aspects, such as vaccination and transplantation, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Mortality due to COVID-19 was observed to be the highest for KTx recipients, followed by patients on hemodialysis, and lowest in the general population. There is no definitive treatment of COVID-19 yet, and managing transplant patients is enigmatic of this: the treatment is based on symptom management. There is an urgent need for guidelines on managing kidney transplant recipients and immunosuppressive adjustments for the course of COVID-19 treatment.

Highlights

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), or coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19), which originated in the city of Wuhan, China, spread worldwide and turned into a global pandemic [1,2]
This study reported that dialysis, organ transplant and chronic kidney disease (CKD) are three of the four comorbidities associated with the highest mortality risk in COVID-19 cases
The chances of becoming infected from the virus are greater among the waiting list patients who are on hemodialysis treatment than among the KTx recipients, and it is the least among the general population

Summary

Introduction

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), or coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19), which originated in the city of Wuhan, China, spread worldwide and turned into a global pandemic [1,2]. April of 2020, a second wave of COVID-19 evolved in India, the USA, Brazil, Russia, Spain, and France, with the higher rate of infection and spread [3]. It had infected more than 173 million people and caused more than 3.7 million deaths worldwide as of 8 June 2021 [4]. The efficiency with which the Omicron variant can spread is high, making it extremely contagious, more so than the original SARS-CoV-2 virus. The transmissibility of the variant is unknown in kidney transplant patients

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