COVID-19 in transplant recipients: multicentric report of Mexican experience

Abstract

Background: Solid Organ Transplant recipients (SOTR) appear to be at particular high risk for critical COVID-19 due to immunosuppressive drugs and comorbidities. We report the first description of clinical course and short-term outcomes of kidney and liver transplant recipients with confirmed COVID-19 in Mexico. Objective: The objective of this paper was evaluate the clinical course of transplant patients with COVID-19 infection. Methods: We retrospectively evaluated SOTR (kidney and liver) over 18 years of age with confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19 from tertiary care centers in Mexico. Results: Data from 45 kidney transplant recipients were recorded. Median (IQR) age was 43 (IQR 25-70) years. Admission to hospital was required in 37 (75.5 %) patients, of which 8 (16.3%) were hospitalized at Intensive Care Unit (ICU). Acute kidney injury (AKI) stage was documented in 33 (67%) patients. The time of hospitalization was 8 (IQR 6-12) days. Six patients died (12.2%). Additionally, data from 10 liver transplant recipients were included. During their evolution, 5/10 required hospital admission and there were no deaths in this group. Conclusions: Transplant recipients show a higher fatality rate and complications from SARS-CoV-2 infection; more studies are needed to identify prognostic factors and effective anti-SARS-CoV-2 therapies.