Factors related to mortality in patients with stage 5 chronic kidney disease on dialysis with COVID-19: An exploratory case series analysis.

Introduction: Different studies describe the clinical profile and factors that could explain the evolution and outcome of patients with chronic kidney disease and COVID-19. This study aims to evaluate the factors related to the mortality of patients with stage-5 chronic kidney disease on chronic dialysis hospitalized for COVID-19 at the Hospital Nacional Arzobispo Loayza from April to December 2020. Methods: Retrospective case series and exploratory analysis were performed. Patients with stage-5 chronic kidney disease on dialysis, older than 18 years, and hospitalized for COVID-19 disease were included. Hospital medical records were the primary data source. Results: A total of 105 medical records were reviewed. 57 were male (54.3%), with a mean age of 58.6 years (standard deviation: 14.3). Eighty-four patients survived (80%), and 21 died (20%). The main cause of hospital admission, present in 80 patients (76.2%), was respiratory failure; the mean hospital stay was of 11.8 days (SD: 7.8). In the bivariate analysis: patients with moderate to severe COVID-19, overweight and obesity, increased levels of leukocytes, D-dimer, ferritin, C-reactive protein, lactate dehydrogenase, as well as, decreased levels of lymphocytes, bicarbonate and arterial oxygen pressure/inspired oxygen fraction were related to mortality risk. In multivariate analysis, only severe COVID-19 disease (OR 1.48; 95% CI 2.24 to 7.77), C-reactive protein > 10 mg/dL (OR: 9.72; 95% CI: 1.41 to 18.58), and arterial oxygen pressure/inspired oxygen fraction ≤ 150 millimeters of mercury (OR: 10.23; 95% CI: 5.87 to 36.06) were factors associated with poor survival. Conclusions: In patients with stage-5 chronic kidney disease hospitalized for COVID-19, severe COVID-19 disease, C-protein reactive levels > 10 milligrams per deciliter, arterial oxygen pressure / inspired oxygen fraction ≤ 150 millimeters of mercury and severe COVID-19 disease were the main factors related to mortality.

Introducción: Diferentes estudios describen el perfil clínico y los factores que podrían explicar la evolución y el resultado de los pacientes con enfermedad renal crónica y COVID-19. El objetivo de este estudio fue evaluar los factores relacionados con la mortalidad de los pacientes con enfermedad renal crónica estadio-5 en diálisis crónica hospitalizados por COVID-19 en el Hospital Nacional Arzobispo Loayza de abril a diciembre de 2020. Métodos: Serie de casos retrospectiva y análisis exploratorio. Se incluyeron pacientes con enfermedad renal crónica estadio 5 en diálisis, mayores de 18 años, hospitalizados por COVID-19. La fuente primaria de datos fueron las historias clínicas. Resultados: Se revisaron 105 historias clínicas. 57 (54,3%) eran varones, con una edad media de 58,6 años (desviación estándar: 14,3). Sobrevivieron 84 (80%) pacientes y fallecieron 21 (20%). La principal causa de ingreso hospitalario fue la insuficiencia respiratoria en 80 (76,2%). La estancia hospitalaria fue de 11,8 días (desviación estándar: 7,8). En el análisis bivariante: los pacientes con COVID-19 moderada a grave, sobrepeso y obesidad, aumento de los niveles de leucocitos, dímero D, ferritina, proteína c reactiva, lactato deshidrogenasa, así como, disminución de los niveles de linfocitos, bicarbonato y presión arterial de oxígeno/fracción inspirada de oxígeno se relacionaron con el riesgo de mortalidad. En el análisis multivariante, sólo la enfermedad grave por COVID-19 (odds ratio: 1,48; intervalo de confianza del 95%: 2,24 a 7,77), la proteína C reactiva > 10 mg/dL (odds ratio: 9,72; intervalo de confianza del 95%: 1,41 a 18,58) y una presión arterial de oxígeno/fracción de oxígeno inspirado ≤ 150 milímetros de mercurio (odds ratio: 10,23; intervalo de confianza del 95%: 5,87 a 36,06) fueron factores asociados a una mala supervivencia. Conclusiones: En los pacientes con enfermedad renal crónica en estadio-5 hospitalizados por COVID-19, la enfermedad grave por COVID-19, los niveles de proteína C reactiva > 10 miligramos por decilitro, la presión arterial de oxígeno/fracción inspirada de oxígeno ≤ 150 milímetros de mercurio y la enfermedad grave por COVID-19 fueron los principales factores relacionados con la mortalidad.

Raising Awareness of Acute Kidney Injury: Unfolding the Truth.

AKI is rarely being recognized as it may take place without any apparent symptoms. Severe AKI is commonly found in intensive care unit (ICU) patients. AKI in the ICU is an independent risk factor for death, as it may cause systemic effects on other vital organs including the lung, heart, liver, brain and immune system. Some studies have reported that AKI increases susceptibility to infection, doubles the rate of respiratory failure and impairs cardiac function. Considering the substantial impacts of AKI in ICU patients, early implementation of preventive measures should be an essential program which consists of developing AKI risk stratification in the ICU and encouraging the use of novel AKI biomarkers (TIMP-2, IGFBP-7, Cystatin C, IL-18,  KIM-1 and NGAL) as well as other risk stratification tools (clinical risk prediction scores, computer algorithms, furosemide stress test). Furthermore, after ICU patients have recovered, AKI survivors are more likely to develop chronic kidney disease (CKD) and end-stage kidney disease (ESKD), imposing significant morbidity in the future. Recent study has shown that nephrologist intervention was associated with lower risk of starting KRT and progression of AKI.     The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has caused more than 800,000 deaths worldwide. Kidney involvement in patients with COVID-19 may present as proteinuria or hematuria and may lead to acute kidney injury (AKI). Some initial reports showed that the incidence of AKI in COVID cases was negligible. However, later reports suggested that AKI is actually prevalent in patients with COVID-19, particularly in ICU patients. AKI is now considered as a common complication of COVID-19 and it is also associated with adverse outcomes, including development or worsening of comorbidities, yet little is known about the pathogenesis or optimal management of COVID-19-associated AKI.

Patients with type 1 and type 2 diabetes hospitalized with COVID-19 in comparison with influenza: mortality and cardiorenal complications assessed by nationwide Swedish registry data.

BACKGROUND: The risk of severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is increased in people with diabetes, but effects of diabetes type and other risk factors remain incompletely characterized. We studied this in a Swedish cohort of hospitalized patients with type 1 and type 2 diabetes (T1D and T2D), also including comparisons with influenza epidemics of recent years. METHODS: Nationwide healthcare registries were used to identify patients. A total of 11,005 adult patients with diabetes (T1D, n = 373; T2D, n = 10,632) were hospitalized due to COVID-19 from January 1, 2020 to September 1, 2021. Moreover, 5111 patients with diabetes (304 T1D, 4807 T2D) were hospitalized due to influenza from January 1, 2015 to December 31, 2019. Main outcomes were death within 28 days after admission and new hospitalizations for heart failure (HF), chronic kidney disease (CKD), cardiorenal disease (CRD; composite of HF and CKD), myocardial infarction (MI) and stroke during 1 year of follow-up. RESULTS: Number of deaths and CRD events were 2025 and 442 with COVID-19 and 259 and 525 with influenza, respectively. Age- and sex-adjusted Cox regression models in COVID-19 showed higher risk of death and HF in T1D vs. T2D, hazard ratio (HR) 1.77 (95% confidence interval 1.41-2.22) and 2.57 (1.31-5.05). With influenza, T1D was associated with higher risk of death compared with T2D, HR 1.80 (1.26-2.57). Older age and previous CRD were associated with higher risks of death and hospitalization for CRD. After adjustment for prior comorbidities, mortality differences were still significant, but there were no significant differences in cardiovascular and renal outcomes. COVID-19 relative to influenza was associated with higher risk of death in both T1D and T2D, HR 2.44 (1.60-3.72) and 2.81 (2.59-3.06), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: In Sweden, patients with T1D as compared to T2D had a higher age- and sex-adjusted risk of death within 28 days and HF within one year after COVID-19 hospitalization, whereas the risks of other non-fatal cardiovascular and renal disease events were similar. Patients with T1D as well as T2D have a greater mortality rate when hospitalized due to COVID-19 compared to influenza, underscoring the importance of vaccination and other preventive measures against COVID-19 for diabetes patients.

Renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system blockers in Bulgarian COVID-19 patients with or without chronic kidney disease.

When angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor/angiotensin receptor blocker-treated patients present with SARS-CoV-2 infection there is a debate to know whether renin-angiotensin-aldosterone (RAAS) blockers should be stopped or not. We conducted a prospective observational study in Bulgarian COVID-19-infected patients with or without chronic kidney disease (CKD) to assess whether maintenance RAAS blocker therapy has an impact on SARS-CoV-2 infection and its complications. We included 120 in-patient COVID-19 subjects, of whom 70 had CKD and 50 had normal renal function. A total of 30% of the patients (total number of 36 patients, 21 females) were receiving RAAS therapy at admission and it was maintained throughout hospitalization. The overall mortality was 19.2% (23 patients); there was no significant difference across the 2 groups (P-value = .21), except in RAAS blockers-treated hypertensive patients who had a significantly lower mortality as compared to non-RAAS-blockers-treated hypertensive patients (P = .04). Regarding subsequent intensive-care unit admission, there were 50% less patients in the RAAS group (4 out of 36, i.e., 11%) as compared to 19 out of 84 from the non-RAAS group, that is, 22.6% (P = .29). Overall, 37 patients developed acute kidney injury (any stage by KDIGO); of them 14 (37.8%) were receiving RAAS blockers. Acute kidney injury was not significantly associated with the use of RAAS blockers (P-value = .28). Likewise, both in non-CKD and in CKD patients the use of RAAS blockers did not have an impact on renal function recovery after SARS-CoV-2 infection. Finally, regarding RAAS blockers and the biological parameters outcome only D-dimers were significantly lower at the follow-up as compared to that in non-RAAS blocker treated patients. RAAS blockers benefited patients with hypertension by lowering mortality rate. Other than that, RAAS blocker therapy continuation during SARS-CoV-2 infection in CKD and non-CKD patients had no significant impact upon major outcomes.

Safety and effectiveness of COVID-19 SPUTNIK V vaccine in dialysis patients.

INTRODUCTION: Given the vulnerability of chronic kidney disease individuals to SARS-CoV-2, nephrology societies have issued statements calling for prioritization of these patients for vaccination. It is not yet known whether COVID-19 vaccines grant the same high level of protection in patients with kidney disease compared to the non-dialysis population. The aims of this study were to evaluate the safety - measured by the adverse events potentially attributed to vaccines (ESAVI) - and the effectiveness - evaluated by the presence of antibodies - in dialysis patients immunized with the COVID-19 Sputnik V vaccine. METHODS: multicenter, observational and analytical study of a prospective cohort of hemodialysis patients from the Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires participating in an official vaccination program. Dialysis requiring individuals older than 18 years, who received both components of the COVID-19 vaccine were included. RESULTS: Data from 491 patients were included in the safety analysis. ESAVI with either the first or second component was detected in 186 (37.9%, 95% CI 33.6%-42.3%). Effectiveness analysis measuring antibodies levels against SARS-CoV-2 were performed in 102 patients; 98% presented these IgG antibodies at day 21 after the second component. In patients with COVID-19 prior to vaccination, antibodies at day 21 after the first component reached almost the highest levels compared to patients without previous COVID-19, but IgG rise among patients with previous COVID-19 was lower than in those without this previous disease. CONCLUSION: The Sputnik V vaccine has been shown to be safe and effective in this patient's population.

Introducción: Dada la vulnerabilidad al SARS-CoV-2 de las personas con enfermedad renal crónica, las sociedades de nefrología han emitido declaraciones pidiendo priorizar a estos pacientes para la vacunación. Aún no se sabe si las vacunas COVID-19 confieren el mismo nivel de protección en pacientes con enfermedad renal. Los objetivos de este estudio fueron evaluar la seguridad, medida por eventos supuestamente atribuidos a las vacunas (ESAVI) y la efectividad, evaluada por la presencia de anticuerpos en pacientes en diálisis inmunizados con la vacuna COVID-19 Sputnik V. Métodos: estudio multicéntrico, observacional y analítico de una cohorte prospectiva de pacientes en hemodiálisis, en la Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, con plan de vacunación. Se incluyeron pacientes mayores de 18 años en diálisis que recibieron ambos componentes de la vacuna COVID-19. Resultados: 491 pacientes fueron incluidos en el análisis de seguridad. Se detectó ESAVI con el primer o el segundo componente en 186 (37.9% IC 95%: 33.6%-42.3%). La efectividad medida por presencia de anticuerpos IgG contra SARS-Cov-2 se realizó en 102 pacientes, 98% presentaba IgG contra SARS-CoV-2, 21 días después del segundo componente. En pacientes con COVID-19 previo a la vacunación, los anticuerpos al día 21 del primer componente alcanzaron niveles casi mayores que en aquellos que no habían sufrido COVID-19, aunque el aumento de los niveles a los 21 días del segundo componente fue menor que en los pacientes sin COVID-19 previo. Conclusión: Los pacientes en diálisis constituyen una población vulnerable para la infección por SARS-CoV-2, por lo tanto, más allá de las recomendaciones implementadas por las unidades de diálisis, la vacunación completa es mandatoria. Se ha demostrado que la vacuna Sputnik V es segura y eficaz en esta población de pacientes.

Association of Finerenone Use With Reduction in Treatment-Emergent Pneumonia and COVID-19 Adverse Events Among Patients With Type 2 Diabetes and Chronic Kidney Disease: A FIDELITY Pooled Secondary Analysis.

Importance: Patients with chronic kidney disease and type 2 diabetes have a higher risk of developing pneumonia as well as an increased risk of severe COVID-19-associated adverse events and mortality. Therefore, the anti-inflammatory effects of mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists via blockade of the mineralocorticoid receptor may alter the risk of pneumonia and COVID-19-associated adverse events in patients with chronic kidney disease and type 2 diabetes. Objective: To evaluate whether the selective, nonsteroidal mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist finerenone is associated with protection against pneumonia and COVID-19 adverse events in patients with type 2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease. Design, Setting, and Participants: This secondary analysis used patient-level data from FIDELITY, a prespecified pooled analysis of 2 multicenter, double-blind, placebo-controlled, event-driven, phase 3 randomized clinical trials: FIDELIO-DKD and FIGARO-DKD, conducted between September 2015 and February 2021. Patients in FIDELIO-DKD or FIGARO-DKD with type 2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease (urine albumin to creatine ratio, 30-5000 mg/g, estimated glomerular filtration rate ≥25 mL/min/1.73 m2) were assessed. Data were analyzed from May 15, 2021, to July 28, 2022. Exposure: Patients were randomized to finerenone (10 or 20 mg once daily) or matching placebo. Main Outcomes and Measures: The main outcomes were investigator-reported incidences of treatment-emergent infective pneumonia adverse events and serious adverse events (during and up to 3 days after treatment) and any COVID-19 adverse events. Results: Of 13 026 randomized patients (mean [SD] age, 64.8 [9.5] years; 9088 [69.8%] men), 12 999 were included in the FIDELITY safety population (6510 patients receiving finerenone; 6489 patients receiving placebo). Over a median (range) treatment duration of 2.6 (0-5.1) years, finerenone was consistently associated with reduced risk of pneumonia and serious pneumonia vs placebo. Overall, 307 patients (4.7%) treated with finerenone and 434 patients (6.7%) treated with placebo experienced pneumonia (hazard ratio [HR], 0.71; 95% CI, 0.64-0.79; P < .001). Serious pneumonia occurred in 171 patients (2.6%) treated with finerenone and 250 patients (3.9%) treated with placebo (HR, 0.69; 95% CI, 0.60-0.79; P < .001). Incidence proportions of COVID-19 adverse events were 86 patients (1.3%) in the finerenone group and 118 patients (1.8%) in the placebo group (HR, 0.73; 95% CI, 0.60-0.89; P = .002). Conclusions and Relevance: These findings suggest that mineralocorticoid receptor blockade with finerenone was associated with protection against pneumonia and COVID-19 adverse events in patients with type 2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease. Further clinical studies may be warranted. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov identifiers: FIDELIO-DKD: NCT02540993; FIGARO-DKD: NCT02545049.

Safety and effectiveness of COVID-19 SPUTNIK V vaccine in dialysis patients.

INTRODUCTION: Given the vulnerability of chronic kidney disease individuals to SARS-CoV-2, nephrology societies have issued statements calling for prioritization of these patients for vaccination. It is not yet known whether COVID-19 vaccines grant the same high level of protection in patients with kidney disease compared to the non-dialysis population. The aims of this study were to evaluate the safety - measured by the adverse events potentially attributed to vaccines (ESAVI) - and the effectiveness - evaluated by the presence of antibodies - in dialysis patients immunized with the COVID-19 Sputnik V vaccine. METHODS: multicenter, observational and analytical study of a prospective cohort of hemodialysis patients from the Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires participating in an official vaccination program. Dialysis requiring individuals older than 18 years, who received both components of the COVID-19 vaccine were included. RESULTS: Data from 491 patients were included in the safety analysis. ESAVI with either the first or second component was detected in 186 (37.9%, 95% CI 33.6%-42.3%). Effectiveness analysis measuring antibodies levels against SARS-CoV-2 were performed in 102 patients; 98% presented these IgG antibodies at day 21 after the second component. In patients with COVID-19 prior to vaccination, antibodies at day 21 after the first component reached almost the highest levels compared to patients without previous COVID-19, but IgG rise among patients with previous COVID-19 was lower than in those without this previous disease. CONCLUSION: The Sputnik V vaccine has been shown to be safe and effective in this patient's population.

Introducción: Dada la vulnerabilidad al SARS-CoV-2 de las personas con enfermedad renal crónica, las sociedades de nefrología han emitido declaraciones pidiendo priorizar a estos pacientes para la vacunación. Aún no se sabe si las vacunas COVID-19 confieren el mismo nivel de protección en pacientes con enfermedad renal. Los objetivos de este estudio fueron evaluar la seguridad, medida por eventos supuestamente atribuidos a las vacunas (ESAVI) y la efectividad, evaluada por la presencia de anticuerpos en pacientes en diálisis inmunizados con la vacuna COVID-19 Sputnik V. Métodos: estudio multicéntrico, observacional y analítico de una cohorte prospectiva de pacientes en hemodiálisis, en la Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, con plan de vacunación. Se incluyeron pacientes mayores de 18 años en diálisis que recibieron ambos componentes de la vacuna COVID-19. Resultados: 491 pacientes fueron incluidos en el análisis de seguridad. Se detectó ESAVI con el primer o el segundo componente en 186 (37.9% IC 95%: 33.6%-42.3%). La efectividad medida por presencia de anticuerpos IgG contra SARS-Cov-2 se realizó en 102 pacientes, 98% presentaba IgG contra SARS-CoV-2, 21 días después del segundo componente. En pacientes con COVID-19 previo a la vacunación, los anticuerpos al día 21 del primer componente alcanzaron niveles casi mayores que en aquellos que no habían sufrido COVID-19, aunque el aumento de los niveles a los 21 días del segundo componente fue menor que en los pacientes sin COVID-19 previo. Conclusión: Los pacientes en diálisis constituyen una población vulnerable para la infección por SARS-CoV-2, por lo tanto, más allá de las recomendaciones implementadas por las unidades de diálisis, la vacunación completa es mandatoria. Se ha demostrado que la vacuna Sputnik V es segura y eficaz en esta población de pacientes.

Multidisciplinary nutritional consensus on assessment and nutritional dietary treatment in patients with chronic kidney disease and SARS-CoV-2 infection.

The presence of malnutrition in patients with Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) is high, it can be made worse by SARS-CoV2 infection. The nutritional assessment should be adapted to minimize the infection, recommending monitoring: weight loss percentage, body mass index (BMI), loss of appetite, analytical parameters and functional capacity using the dynamometer. As well as the sarcopenia assessment using the SCARF scale, and the possibility of using the GLIM criteria in those patients who have been tested positive by MUST. It is important to adapt the nutritional recommendations in the caloric and protein intake, to the CKD stage and to the SARS-CoV2 infection stage. In patients with hypercatabolism, to prioritize preserving the nutritional status (35 kcal/kg weight/day, proteins up to 1.5 g/kg/day). The rest of the nutrients will be adapted to CKD stage and the analytical values. In the post-infection stage, a complete nutritional assessment is recommended, including sarcopenia. The energy and protein requirements in this phase will be adapted to the nutritional status, with special attention to the loss of muscle mass. Dietary recommendations need to be tailored to side effects of SARS-CoV-2 infection: anorexia, dysphagia, dysgeusia, and diarrhea. Anorexia and hypercatabolism makes it difficult to meet the requirements through diet, therefore the use of oral nutritional supplements is recommended as well as the enteral or parenteral nutrition in severe phases.

Vaccination in patients with kidney failure: lessons from COVID-19.

Infection is the second leading cause of death in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Adequate humoral (antibody) and cellular (T cell-driven) immunity are required to minimize pathogen entry and promote pathogen clearance to enable infection control. Vaccination can generate cellular and humoral immunity against specific pathogens and is used to prevent many life-threatening infectious diseases. However, vaccination efficacy is diminished in patients with CKD. Premature ageing of the immune system and chronic systemic low-grade inflammation are the main causes of immune alteration in these patients. In the case of SARS-CoV-2 infection, COVID-19 can have considerable detrimental effects in patients with CKD, especially in those with kidney failure. COVID-19 prevention through successful vaccination is therefore paramount in this vulnerable population. Although patients receiving dialysis have seroconversion rates comparable to those of patients with normal kidney function, most kidney transplant recipients could not generate humoral immunity after two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. Importantly, some patients who were not able to produce antibodies still had a detectable vaccine-specific T cell response, which might be sufficient to prevent severe COVID-19. Correlates of protection against SARS-CoV-2 have not been established for patients with kidney failure, but they are urgently needed to enable personalized vaccination regimens.

A retrospective cohort study predicting and validating impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in individuals with chronic kidney disease.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is associated with increased risk of baseline mortality and severe COVID-19, but analyses across CKD stages, and comorbidities are lacking. In prevalent and incident CKD, we investigated comorbidities, baseline risk, COVID-19 incidence, and predicted versus observed one-year excess death. In a national dataset (NHS Digital Trusted Research Environment [NHSD TRE]) for England encompassing 56 million individuals), we conducted a retrospective cohort study (March 2020 to March 2021) for prevalence of comorbidities by incident and prevalent CKD, SARS-CoV-2 infection and mortality. Baseline mortality risk, incidence and outcome of infection by comorbidities, controlling for age, sex and vaccination were assessed. Observed versus predicted one-year mortality at varying population infection rates and pandemic-related relative risks using our published model in pre-pandemic CKD cohorts (NHSD TRE and Clinical Practice Research Datalink [CPRD]) were compared. Among individuals with CKD (prevalent:1,934,585, incident:144,969), comorbidities were common (73.5% and 71.2% with one or more condition[s] in respective data sets, and 13.2% and 11.2% with three or more conditions, in prevalent and incident CKD), and associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection, particularly dialysis/transplantation (odds ratio 2.08, 95% confidence interval 2.04-2.13) and heart failure (1.73, 1.71-1.76), but not cancer (1.01, 1.01-1.04). One-year all-cause mortality varied by age, sex, multi-morbidity and CKD stage. Compared with 34,265 observed excess deaths, in the NHSD-TRE and CPRD databases respectively, we predicted 28,746 and 24,546 deaths (infection rates 10% and relative risks 3.0), and 23,754 and 20,283 deaths (observed infection rates 6.7% and relative risks 3.7). Thus, in this largest, national-level study, individuals with CKD have a high burden of comorbidities and multi-morbidity, and high risk of pre-pandemic and pandemic mortality. Hence, treatment of comorbidities, non-pharmaceutical measures, and vaccination are priorities for people with CKD and management of long-term conditions is important during and beyond the pandemic.

Desidustat: First Approval.

Desidustat (Oxemia™) is an orally bioavailable, small molecule, hypoxia-inducible factor-prolyl hydroxylase (HIF-PH) inhibitor developed by Zydus Cadila for the treatment of anaemia associated with chronic kidney disease (CKD), COVID-2019 infections and chemotherapy induced anaemia. Desidustat inhibits prolyl hydroxylase domain enzymes, resulting in the stabilisation of hypoxia-inducible factor which stimulates erythropoietin production and erythropoiesis. In March 2022, desidustat received its first approval in India for the treatment of anaemia in adults with CKD who are either on dialysis or not on dialysis. Desidustat is in clinical development in China for the treatment of anaemia in patients with CKD, in Mexico for the management of COVID-2019 infections and in the USA for the treatment of chemotherapy induced anaemia. This article summarizes the milestones in the development of desidustat leading to this first approval for anaemia associated with CKD.

Acute kidney injury in patients with COVID-19 in the intensive care unit: evaluation of risk factors and mortality in a national cohort.

OBJECTIVES: Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a frequent complication among critical ill patients with COVID-19, but the actual incidence is unknown as AKI-incidence varies from 25% to 89% in intensive care unit (ICU) populations. We aimed to describe the prevalence and risk factors of AKI in patients with COVID-19 admitted to ICU in Norway. DESIGN: Nation-wide observational study with data sampled from the Norwegian Intensive Care and Pandemic Registry (NIPaR) for the period between 10 March until 31 December 2020. SETTING: ICU patients with COVID-19 in Norway. NIPaR collects data on intensive care stays covering more than 90% of Norwegian ICU and 98% of ICU stays. PARTICIPANTS: Adult patients with COVID-19 admitted to Norwegian ICU were included in the study. Patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) were excluded in order to avoid bias from CKD on the incidence of AKI. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES: Primary outcome was AKI at ICU admission as defined by renal Simplified Acute Physiology Score in NIPaR. Secondary outcome measures included survival at 30 and 90 days after admission to hospital. RESULTS: A total number of 361 patients with COVID-19 were included in the analysis. AKI was present in 32.0% of the patients at ICU admission. The risk for AKI at ICU admission was related to acute circulatory failure at admission to hospital. Survival for the study population at 30 and 90 days was 82.5% and 77.6%, respectively. Cancer was a predictor of 30-day mortality. Age, acute circulatory failure at hospital admission and AKI at ICU admission were predictors of both 30-day and 90-day mortality. CONCLUSIONS: A high number of patients with COVID-19 had AKI at ICU admission. The study indicates that AKI at ICU admission was related to acute circulatory failure at hospital admission. Age, acute circulatory failure at hospital admission and AKI at ICU admission were associated with mortality.

Factors Associated With Severity of COVID-19 Disease in a Multicenter Cohort of People With HIV in the United States, March-December 2020.

BACKGROUND: Understanding the spectrum of COVID-19 in people with HIV (PWH) is critical to provide clinical guidance and risk reduction strategies. SETTING: Centers for AIDS Research Network of Integrated Clinic System, a US multisite clinical cohort of PWH in care. METHODS: We identified COVID-19 cases and severity (hospitalization, intensive care, and death) in a large, diverse HIV cohort during March 1, 2020-December 31, 2020. We determined predictors and relative risks of hospitalization among PWH with COVID-19, adjusted for disease risk scores. RESULTS: Of 16,056 PWH in care, 649 were diagnosed with COVID-19 between March and December 2020. Case fatality was 2%; 106 (16.3%) were hospitalized, and 12 died. PWH with current CD4 count <350 cells/mm 3 [aRR 2.68; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.93 to 3.71; P < 0.001] or lowest recorded CD4 count <200 cells/mm 3 (aRR 1.67; 95% CI: 1.18 to 2.36; P < 0.005) had greater risks of hospitalization. HIV viral load and antiretroviral therapy status were not associated with hospitalization, although most of the PWH were suppressed (86%). Black PWH were 51% more likely to be hospitalized with COVID-19 compared with other racial/ethnic groups (aRR 1.51; 95% CI: 1.04 to 2.19; P = 0.03). Chronic kidney disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diabetes, hypertension, obesity, and increased cardiovascular and hepatic fibrosis risk scores were associated with higher hospitalization risk. PWH who were older, not on antiretroviral therapy, and with current CD4 count <350 cells/mm 3 , diabetes, and chronic kidney disease were overrepresented among PWH who required intubation or died. CONCLUSIONS: PWH with CD4 count <350 cells/mm 3 , and a history of CD4 count <200 cells/mm 3 , have a clear excess risk of severe COVID-19, accounting for comorbidities associated with severe outcomes. PWH with these risk factors should be prioritized for COVID-19 vaccination and early treatment and monitored closely for worsening illness.