Risk factors associated with COVID-19 severity among patients on maintenance haemodialysis: a retrospective multicentre cross-sectional study in the UK

OBJECTIVES

To assess the applicability of risk factors for severe COVID-19 defined in the general population for patients on haemodialysis.

SETTING

A retrospective cross-sectional study performed across thirty four haemodialysis units in midlands of the UK.

PARTICIPANTS

All 274 patients on maintenance haemodialysis who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 on PCR testing between March and August 2020, in participating haemodialysis centres.

EXPOSURE

The utility of obesity, diabetes status, ethnicity, Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) and socioeconomic deprivation scores were investigated as risk factors for severe COVID-19.

MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES

Severe COVID-19, defined as requiring supplemental oxygen or respiratory support, or a C reactive protein of ≥75 mg/dL (RECOVERY trial definitions), and its association with obesity, diabetes status, ethnicity, CCI, and socioeconomic deprivation.

RESULTS

63.5% (174/274 patients) developed severe disease. Socioeconomic deprivation associated with severity, being most pronounced between the most and least deprived quartiles (OR 2.81, 95% CI 1.22 to 6.47, p=0.015), after adjusting for age, sex and ethnicity. There was no association between obesity, diabetes status, ethnicity or CCI with COVID-19 severity. We found no evidence of temporal evolution of cases (p=0.209) or clustering that would impact our findings.

CONCLUSION

The incidence of severe COVID-19 is high among patients on haemodialysis; this cohort should be considered high risk. There was strong evidence of an association between socioeconomic deprivation and COVID-19 severity. Other risk factors that apply to the general population may not apply to this cohort.

Functional cardiovascular reserve predicts survival pre-kidney and post-kidney transplantation

Exercise intolerance is an important comorbidity in patients with CKD. Anaerobic threshold (AT) determines the upper limits of aerobic exercise and is a measure of cardiovascular reserve. This study investigated the prognostic capacity of AT on survival in patients with advanced CKD and the effect of kidney transplantation on survival in those with reduced cardiovascular reserve. Using cardiopulmonary exercise testing, cardiovascular reserve was evaluated in 240 patients who were waitlisted for kidney transplantation between 2008 and 2010, and patients were followed for ≤5 years. Survival time was the primary endpoint. Cumulative survival for the entire cohort was 72.6% (24 deaths), with cardiovascular events being the most common cause of death (54.2%). According to Kaplan-Meier estimates, patients with AT <40% of predicted peak VO2 had a significantly reduced 5-year cumulative overall survival rate compared with those with AT ≥40% (P<0.001). Regarding the cohort with AT <40%, patients who underwent kidney transplantation (6 deaths) had significantly better survival compared with nontransplanted patients (17 deaths) (hazard ratio, 4.48; 95% confidence interval, 1.78 to 11.38; P=0.002). Survival did not differ significantly among patients with AT ≥40%, with one death in the nontransplanted group and no deaths in the transplanted group. In summary, this is the first prospective study to demonstrate a significant association of AT, as the objective index of cardiovascular reserve, with survival in patients with advanced CKD. High-risk patients with reduced cardiovascular reserve had a better survival rate after receiving a kidney transplant.

Cyclosporine dose reduction in stable renal transplant patients with high C2 level: simplified method of single C2 measurement and individualization of C0 target

It is recommended that cyclosporine dosing should be based on the whole blood level 2 h after a dose (C2), not the trough level (C0). Initial studies did not however establish the outcome of dosing according to C2 levels in long-term patients previously managed by C0 levels. C0 and C2 were measured in 152 stable patients receiving Neoral therapy, mean 86.9 months after transplantation. This showed that 38 (25%) had C2 levels above a target range of 700-900 microg/l. Higher C2 levels were associated with higher cholesterol levels (P = 0.0058) and higher diastolic blood pressure (P = 0.0163). Cyclosporine dose reduction was undertaken in 32 patients with high C2 levels. For logistical reasons, C2 was not performed regularly, but an individualized C0 level was set for each patient. A 16% reduction in mean cyclosporine dose was achieved, associated with a 28% fall in mean C0, from 212 to 153 microg/l, and a 25% fall in mean C2, from 1075 to 820 microg/l. There was no excess in adverse events in the dose reduction cohort, compared with patients with initial C2 levels <900 microg/l. Over a mean 15 month follow-up period in the dose reduction cohort, there was a 4.4% reduction in mean diastolic blood pressure, from 84.9 (SEM 2.1) to 80.2 (1.9) mmHg, P = 0.023; and a 10.4% reduction in mean cholesterol, from 5.71 (0.27) to 5.11 (0.25), P = 0.005 (patients starting on statin during follow-up excluded). In patients with initial C2 <900 microg/l, blood pressure did not fall and the cholesterol fell by 3.9%, from 5.27 (0.14) to 5.07 (0.15) mmol/l (P = 0.0405). In conclusion, cyclosporine dose reduction was safe in stable long-term renal allograft recipients with high C2 levels. There was an improvement cholesterol levels and a small improvement in blood pressure after cyclosporine dose reduction.

Hyponatraemia and hyperkalaemia are more frequent in renal transplant recipients treated with tacrolimus than with cyclosporin. Further evidence for differences between cyclosporin and tacrolimus nephrotoxicities

BACKGROUND

This study was designed to examine the hypothesis that the nephrotoxicities caused by cyclosporin and tacrolimus might differ in respect of sodium and potassium handling.

METHODS

125 patients were studied retrospectively for the first 90 days after renal transplantation. Eighty were treated initially with cyclosporin and 45 with tacrolimus.

RESULTS

A serum sodium level of <135 mmol/l was present for 542/5171 (10.5%) days under tacrolimus treatment compared with 377/5486 (6.9%) days under cyclosporin treatment (P < 0.0001). Severe hyponatraemia, below 120 mmol/l, was also more prevalent under tacrolimus than cyclosporin treatment, P < 0.025. Nine patients, all receiving tacrolimus, were treated with fludrocortisone for fluid depletion and/or hyponatraemia. Serum potassium levels were higher in tacrolimus-treated patients (P < 0.0001), and subjects with hyponatraemia were more likely to experience hyperkalaemia (P < 0.0001).

CONCLUSIONS

Hyponatraemia and hyperkalaemia were more frequent in tacrolimus-treated subjects. Taken together with previous work showing that hyperuricaemia is more frequent with cyclosporin treatment, and hypomagnesaemia with tacrolimus treatment, these findings are consistent with qualitative differences between the nephrotoxicities of cyclosporin and tacrolimus.