In December 2019, an outbreak of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) due to the novel SARS-CoV-2 virus began in China and spread rapidly worldwide. It is unknown whether hemodialysis patients represent a distinct group of patients with certain characteristics that may make them susceptible to infection or severe disease. In this Case Report, we describe the clinical and epidemiological features of COVID-19 in 201 maintenance hemodialysis patients in Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan university, including 5 maintenance hemodialysis patients who contracted COVID-19 disease. Of the 5 patients with COVID-19, one had a definite history of contact with an infected person. The age range of the patients was 47–67 years. Diarrhea (80%), fever (60%), and fatigue (60%) were the most common symptoms. Lymphopenia occurred in all patients.Chest computerized tomography (CT) scans showed ground glass opacity in the lungs of all patients. Up to February 13, 2020, none of the patients had developed severe complications (acute respiratory distress syndrome, shock, multiple organ dysfunction) or died.
In December 2019, an outbreak of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) due to infection with the novel SARS-CoV-2 virus began in Wuhan, China, and spread rapidly to other areas of China and other countries (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6). Phylogenetic analysis suggests that SARS-CoV-2 is a new human-infecting betacoronavirus, closely similar to bat coronaviruses, suggesting that bats might have been the original host of this virus (7). There are no antiviral drugs of proven efficacy or applicable vaccines. Supportive therapy is the main method for the management of symptomatic patients, many of whom require mechanical ventilation and other intensive care services. There is limited information regarding the epidemiology of COVID-19 in maintenance hemodialysis (MHD) patients. MHD patients may be at increased risk of COVID-19 because of many comorbid conditions(8). In this report we describe our experience with five MHD patients who developed COVID-19 disease at Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University.
Among 201 long-term hemodialysis patients in the dialysis center at Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, five patients were diagnosed with COVID-19 pneumonia according to the criteria of the Chinese Centers for Disease Control, which included positive real time reverse transcriptase PCR testing for SARS-CoV-2 (rRT-PCR). Characteristics of the five patients are presented in Table 1. The age range of patients was 47 to 67 years and two of five patients were female. None of the patients had known exposure to the Huanan seafood market that appeared to be the epicenter of this infection. One had known exposure to an infected family member. The most common symptom of the five infected patients was diarrhea (4/5), followed by fever (3/5), fatigue (3/5) dyspnea (2/5) and abdominal pain (2/5). Only one patient had dry cough. No patients had rhinorrhea, sore throat, myalgia or other upper respiratory tract infection symptoms. All of the five patients had lymphopenia (<1.0 ×10⁹/L). Only one patient had white blood cell and neutrophil cell count slightly above normal.
Font: American Journal of Kidney Diseases – Elsevier
