Importance of Confirmatory Tests for Sars-Cov-2 Infection in Hemodialysis Patients: A Multicenter Mexican Registry

Abstract Background: Since the beginning of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic, patients with chronic kidney disease vulnerable to suffering more severe COVID-19 disease and worse outcomes have been identified Objectives: Our study's aim was to determine the incidence, characteristics, and outcomes of SARS-CoV-2 infection in patients of hemodialysis (HD) units in Mexico and to describe the availability of confirmatory testing Methods: This study was multicentric study of 19 HD units, conducted between March 2020 and March 2021 Results: From a total of 5779 patients, 955 (16.5%) cases of suspicious COVID-19 were detected; a SARS-CoV-2 reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction test was done in only 50.6% of patients. Forty-five percentages were hospitalized and 6% required invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV). There was no significant difference in mortality between confirmed (131/483) and suspicious (124/472) cases (p = 0.74). The percentage of patients in need of hospitalization, IMV, and deceased was greater than in the rest of the study population Conclusions: The study revealed that 49.4% of the cases were not confirmed, a worrisome observation given that this is a highly vulnerable population (higher probability of contagion and worse outcomes), in which 100% of patients should have a confirmatory test

Anemia, overhydration, and lower muscle strength in hemodialysis patients with protein-energy wasting.

INTRODUCTION: The protein-energy wasting (PEW) syndrome is a common complication in hemodialysis (HD) patients associated to morbidity and mortality. Our objective was to assess the prevalence of PEW and its association with erythropoietin resistance index (ERI) score, body composition by impedance, health-related quality of life, and muscle strength. METHODS: In this cross-sectional, observational, multicenter study, we included data from 191 HD patients from three HD clinics located in Mexico City, Mexico. Clinical and biochemistry variables, body composition, handgrip strength, and the KDQOL-SF36 questionnaire were collected for each patient. FINDINGS: Prevalence of PEW was 22% (n = 41/191), with a higher frequency in those with diabetes mellitus (59% vs. 49%, p = 0.04). Subjects with PEW had lower hemoglobin levels (9.5 + 1.6 g/dl vs. 10.3 + 1.7 g/dl; p = 0.005) and higher ERI scores (19.2 ± 11.2 vs. 15.6 ± 8.2; p = 0.04) compared with the non-PEW group. In analysis of body composition, PEW was associated to higher overhydration status (42.2 vs. 24.9 OH/kg; p = 0.009), higher extracellular water (263 ± 40 vs. 246 ± 32 ml/kg; p = 0.019), lower lean tissue index (12.2 ± 3.2 vs. 14.1 ± 3.7 ml/m2 ; p = 0.021), and lower fat tissue index (9.6 ± 5.7 vs. 12.3 ± 6.2 ml/m2 ; p = 0.043). Handgrip strength was lower in PEW patients (22.5 vs. 28.1 kg; p = 0.002). Finally, no significant differences were observed between groups in quality-of-life assessment. DISCUSSION: In this study, PEW was associated to poor responsiveness to erythropoiesis-stimulating agents, lower muscle strength, and higher overhydration status due to the increase in extracellular water which replaced the loss of tissue. Nevertheless, quality-of-life assessment was not different in patients with PEW compared with those without this complication.

Importance of Confirmatory Tests for Sars-Cov-2 Infection in Hemodialysis Patients: A Multicenter Mexican Registry.

Background: Since the beginning of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic, patients with chronic kidney disease vulnerable to suffering more severe COVID-19 disease and worse outcomes have been identified. Objectives: Our study's aim was to determine the incidence, characteristics, and outcomes of SARS-CoV-2 infection in patients of hemodialysis (HD) units in Mexico and to describe the availability of confirmatory testing. Methods: This study was multicentric study of 19 HD units, conducted between March 2020 and March 2021. Results: From a total of 5779 patients, 955 (16.5%) cases of suspicious COVID-19 were detected; a SARS-CoV-2 reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction test was done in only 50.6% of patients. Forty-five percentages were hospitalized and 6% required invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV). There was no significant difference in mortality between confirmed (131/483) and suspicious (124/472) cases (p = 0.74). The percentage of patients in need of hospitalization, IMV, and deceased was greater than in the rest of the study population. Conclusions: The study revealed that 49.4% of the cases were not confirmed, a worrisome observation given that this is a highly vulnerable population (higher probability of contagion and worse outcomes), in which 100% of patients should have a confirmatory test.