Presentation and Outcomes of Patients With End-Stage Kidney Disease Hospitalized With COVID-19 at a Tertiary Center in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Background Patients with end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) are disproportionately vulnerable to COVID-19 and its complications due to the older age and significant burden of comorbid conditions. Data about the impact of COVID-19 on the ESKD population in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is scarce, and this study aims to bridge this gap. Method This is a retrospective cohort study that included ESKD patients who were receiving either in-center hemodialysis (HD) or peritoneal dialysis (PD) for at least three months and were hospitalized due to COVID-19 at King Abdulaziz Medical City in Riyadh (KAMC) between March 2020 and March 2021. Of note, the in-center hemodialysis means that the patients come to the dialysis center three times per week to receive their dialysis sessions, as home hemodialysis is not available at our center. Multivariate logistic regression was performed to explore the association of clinical characteristics and laboratory parameters with ICU admission and mortality. Results A total of 104 patients were included in the analysis. The mean age was 62.6 (SD=17.4) years, 101 (97%) were on HD, predominantly through a central venous catheter (72%), and 53 patients (51%) were male. Patients with COVID-19 were either asymptomatic (42%) or had mild symptoms (37%), mainly cough and fever. At the time of admission, 37 patients (36%) had extrapulmonary symptoms, and 13 patients (12%) had altered mental status. Normal chest X-ray (48%), followed by bilateral lung infiltrates (24%), and unilateral lung infiltrate (11%) were the most common radiological findings. We did not observe any thromboembolic events. Twenty patients (19%) required ICU admission and 19 patients (18%) died during hospitalization. Predictors for in-hospital mortality were: 1) the need for inotropes (adjusted OR: 53.01, p=0.006), 2) age (adjusted OR: 1.07, p=0.019), and 3) C-reactive protein (CRP) level on admission (adjusted OR: 1.02, p=0.04). We did not find any strong predictor for ICU admission. Conclusion Our study demonstrated that COVID-19 carries significant mortality and morbidity in the ESKD population. Age, inotropic support requirement and elevated CRP on admission predicted mortality in our population. The high rate of adverse outcomes of COVID-19 among ESRD patients calls for strict implementation of preventive measures, including vaccination, social distancing, and universal masking at the level of both the healthcare providers and patients. Further studies are needed to assess the association of COVID-19 and hypercoagulability ESKD population.