SARS-CoV2 and immunosuppression: A double-edged sword

Abstract

Severe acute respiratory syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-Cov2) outbreak has caused a pandemic rapidly impacting on the way of life of the entire world. This impact in the specific setting of transplantation and immunosuppression has been poorly explored to date. Discordant data exist on the impact of previous coronavirus outbreaks on immunosuppressed patients. Overall, only a very limited number of cases have been reported in literature, suggesting that transplanted patients not necessarily present an increased risk of severe SARS-Cov2-related disease compared to the general population. We conducted a literature review related to the impact of immunosuppression on coronavirus infections including case reports and series describing immunosuppression management in transplant recipients. The role of steroids, calcineurin inhibitors, and mycophenolic acid has been explored more in detail. A point-in-time snapshot of the yet released literature and some considerations in relation to the use of immunosuppression in SARS-Cov2 infected transplant recipients are provided here for the physicians dealing with immunocompromised patients.