ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: Predictive markers and prognosis remain unclear in hospitalized hemodialysis (HD) patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) during the Omicron epidemic. METHODS: We evaluated characteristics, laboratory parameters, and outcomes in hospitalized HD patients with COVID-19 (n = 102) at two centers between January and April 2022. RESULTS: The 30-day mortality rate was higher in moderate-critical group (n = 43) than mild group (n = 59) (16.3% vs. 1.7%; p = 0.007), and higher in patients with lower CC chemokine ligand 17 (CCL17) levels (<95.0 pg/mL) compared with normal CCL17 levels (19.0% versus 4.9%; p = 0.03). In multivariate analyses, a low CCL17 level (p = 0.003) was associated with moderate-critical conditions, and moderate-critical conditions (p = 0.04) were associated with 30-day mortality, whereas CCL17 was not associated with 30-day mortality. CONCLUSIONS: COVID-19 remains a fatal complication, and CCL17 was a predictive marker of severity in hospitalized HD patients during the Omicron epidemic.