Results from the ERA-EDTA Registry indicate a high mortality due to COVID-19 in dialysis patients and kidney transplant recipients across Europe

Kitty J. Jager, Anneke Kramer, Nicholas C. Chesnaye, C. cile Couchoud, J. Emilio Sánchez-Álvarez, Liliana Garneata, Fréderic Collart, Marc H. Hemmelder, Patrice Ambühl, Julia Kerschbaum, Camille Legeai, María Dolores del Pino y Pino, Gabriel Mircescu, Lionel Mazzoleni, Tiny Hoekstra, Rebecca Winzeler, Gert Mayer, Vianda S. Stel, Christoph Wanner, Carmine ZoccaliZiad A. Massy

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Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate 28-day mortality after COVID-19 diagnosis in the European kidney replacement therapy population. In addition, we determined the role of patient characteristics, treatment factors, and country on mortality risk with the use of ERA-EDTA Registry data on patients receiving kidney replacement therapy in Europe from February 1, 2020, to April 30, 2020. Additional data on all patients with a diagnosis of COVID-19 were collected from 7 European countries encompassing 4298 patients. COVID-19–attributable mortality was calculated using propensity score–matched historic control data and after 28 days of follow-up was 20.0% (95% confidence interval 18.7%–21.4%) in 3285 patients receiving dialysis and 19.9% (17.5%–22.5%) in 1013 recipients of a transplant. We identified differences in COVID-19 mortality across countries, and an increased mortality risk in older patients receiving kidney replacement therapy and male patients receiving dialysis. In recipients of kidney transplants ≥75 years of age, 44.3% (35.7%–53.9%) did not survive COVID-19. Mortality risk was 1.28 (1.02–1.60) times higher in transplant recipients compared with matched dialysis patients. Thus, the pandemic has had a substantial effect on mortality in patients receiving kidney replacement therapy, a highly vulnerable population due to underlying chronic kidney disease and a high prevalence of multimorbidity.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1540-1548
Number of pages9
JournalKidney International
Volume98
Issue number6
Early online date2020
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Dec 2020

Keywords

  • COVID-19
  • attributable mortality
  • dialysis
  • kidney replacement therapy
  • registries
  • transplantation

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