Covid pandemic worsened outcomes for kidney disease patients

Approximately 800,000 people receive treatment for kidney failure in the United States, either by undergoing dialysis or living with a kidney transplant.

The risks of dying from any cause were 17 per cent and 30 per cent higher during the second quarter of 2020 among patients receiving dialysis and patients with kidney transplants, respectively.

Among patients undergoing dialysis, the rate of Covid-19 hospitalisations peaked between March 22 and April 25, last year.

During this time, patients on dialysis were hospitalized 17 per cent less frequently than typical for reasons other than Covid-19.

"The trajectory of the rate of Covid-19 hospitalisations among dialysis patients tracked the corresponding trajectory in the general population, but was roughly 40 times higher in magnitude," said Eric D Weinhandl, Chronic Disease Research Group, Hennepin Healthcare Research Institute in Minnesota, US.

"This study suggests that the effect of the initial phase of the pandemic on both dialysis and kidney transplant patients has been profound," Weinhandl added.

The study suggests prioritising kidney failure patients in Covid-19 vaccination schedules. The findings are forthcoming in the journal JASN.