COVID-19 mortality among solid organ transplant recipients and candidates before specific vaccine availability in Colombia

Introduction: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a life-threatening disease that was declared a pandemic in March 2020. Organ transplant recipients are vulnerable to infection and complications from COVID-19. The objective of this study was to investigate the rates of infection, mortality, and...

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Main Authors: Yazmin R Arias-Murillo, Maria A Salinas-Nova, Miguel Á Castro-Jiménez, Camilo Montero, Jorge A Cortes
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: The Journal of Infection in Developing Countries 2024-12-01
Series:Journal of Infection in Developing Countries
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Online Access:https://jidc.org/index.php/journal/article/view/19920
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Summary:Introduction: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a life-threatening disease that was declared a pandemic in March 2020. Organ transplant recipients are vulnerable to infection and complications from COVID-19. The objective of this study was to investigate the rates of infection, mortality, and case-fatality ratios (CFR) in solid organ transplant recipients and patients on the waiting list for organ allocation in the period prior to the availability of specific vaccines. Methodology: This was an observational study of official sources that are used to report information on COVID-19. Quantitative variables were described with arithmetic means and categorical variables with proportions. Percentages of positivity to infection, number of deaths, CFR, and all-cause mortality were calculated for each group and subgroup. Results: There were 2,551 eligible subjects; 602 (26.2%) were positive for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). There were 265 (10.4%) deaths from all causes during the follow-up period; 119 (44.9%) of them were associated with COVID-19, which indicated a COVID-19-related mortality rate of 4.7 %. CFRs were 21.4% and 17.1% in transplant recipients and waitlisted patients, respectively. CFR was significantly higher in transplant recipients (23.8%) than in patients waitlisted for kidney (16.5%; p = 0.044) Among SARS-CoV-2-positive patients, the probability of dying from COVID-19 was higher in the first group (87.3% and 73%, respectively; p = 0.034). Conclusions: COVID-19 had a significant impact on the deaths of transplant patients and patients on the solid organ waiting list during the first year of the pandemic in Colombia, before the availability of vaccines.
ISSN:1972-2680