Pooja Koirala

and 3 more

Renal transplant recipients are at higher risk of COVID-19 infection due to chronic comorbidities and immunocompromised state. Limited information is available on the course and outcome of this infection in organ transplantation patients, especially in Nepal. This study aims to find out the impact of COVID-19 on renal transplant recipients. Methods: A retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted using census sampling technique on 601 patients who underwent renal transplant surgery at Shahid Dharmabhakta National Transplant Center (SDNTC), Bhaktapur. Both living as well as deceased donor renal transplant patients, who were COVID-19 confirmed through PCR test were included in the study. A self-developed, semi-structured telephone interview schedule was utilized for data collection. Results: Among the 601 patients that responded to our telephone calls, 37.9% were diagnosed as COVID-19 positive. The overall mortality among total respondent patient was nominal (5.7%) and 14.9% among COVID-19 positive patients. Most of the COVID-19 positive patients (79.8%) were male and residing in province 3 (Bagmati province). Among the expired patients, most of them (41.17%) were more than 45 years of age and employed (64.7%). Hypertension and diabetes mellitus were the top two comorbid condition. While, the most common presenting feature was fever followed by cough. Interestingly, 23.7 % of COVID-19 positive patient were hospitalized and among them 72.2% were admitted for more than 2 days. Notably, 65.8% of the COVID-19 patients were not vaccinated and among the vaccinated ones 73.1% had only single dose. The most common vaccine among patient was Vero Cell. Conclusion: This study highlights the heightened vulnerability of renal transplant recipients to COVID-19 as significant portion of the studied patients tested positive for COVID-19, with a notable mortality rate among these patients. The findings underscore the critical role of vaccination, as a considerable number of the COVID-19 positive patients were unvaccinated or partially vaccinated.