Evaluation of Kidney Transplant Patients Infected with COVID-19 in Turkey

Objectives: Determining the clinical course of Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) infection in terms of mortality and morbidity in patients with kidney transplantation is of scientific importance in our country and in the world. Our aim in this study was to examine the epidemiological incidence and results of kidney transplant patients registered in the data system of the “Directorate of Tissue, Organ Transplantation and Dialysis Services” in Turkey after COVID-19 infection.
Methods: In this study, which was designed as a non-interventional, retrospective, and observational study; demographic information of patients, clinical and radiological parameters, life expectancy, hospital service and intensive care requirements and length of stay were analyzed in the information systems of the Ministry of Health. In the study, a total of 12,360 people with kidney transplants in Turkey were examined between March 2020 and March 2021 with suspected COVID-19.
Results: Between March 2020 and March 2021, 12,360 patients who received Kidney Transplants were examined in Turkey with COVID-19 symptoms. The rate of patients diagnosed with COVID-19 infection was 34.5% (4266) and their average age was 49.3 years. The number of patients who died from COVID-19 in patients with kidney transplantation was 288 (6.8%) and their average age was 60.7 years. In the intensive care unit, 446 patients (10.45%) were followed and 149 (3.5%) were intubated patients.
Conclusion: COVID-19 diagnosis, pneumonia cases and mortality rates were found to be higher in patients with kidney transplantation than in the general population. However, when many publications originating from abroad are examined, it is determined that we are well below the world average in the incidence of COVID-19 infection, hospitalization, intensive care hospitalization and mortality rates in those who have kidney transplants in our country.