Different clinical presentations of two renal transplant recipients with coronavirus disease 2019: a case report

BACKGROUND: The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome Coronavirus-2 has spread rapidly worldwide and disease spread is currently increasing. Data on the clinical picture of transplant recipients and management of the anti-rejection immunosuppressive therapy on COVID-19 infection are lacking. CASE PRESENTATION: We report two cases of COVID-19 infection in renal transplant recipients with variable clinical presentations. The first patient presented with mild respiratory symptoms and a stable clinical course. The second patient had more severe clinical characteristics and presented with severe pneumonia and multi-organ failure. Both patients received a combination therapy including antiviral treatment and reduced immunosuppression therapy and finally recovered. CONCLUSIONS: We report COVID-19 infection in two renal transplant recipients with a favorable outcome but different clinical courses, which may provide a reference value for treating such patients.