Hospital e Clínica das Vias Urinárias Ltda.

Evaluation of the frequency of APOL1 gene variants in kidney donors and the impact of these variants on the long-term renal function of kidney transplant donors and recipients.

Since the beginning of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, 1031 (8.7%) of the 11875 kidney transplant recipients being followed up at Hospital do Rim have been infected. The overall lethality rate was 24%, reaching 53% among those over 70 years old. Among the survivors, there is also a high incidence of renal dysfunction with loss of the renal graft and definitive return to dialysis. Patients receiving pharmacological immunosuppression, including transplant recipients, have not been included in the studies carried out to date. In addition, kidney transplant recipients may have reduced vaccine responses compared to the general population. The severity, the high incidence of renal dysfunction and loss of renal graft, and the high lethality associated with COVD-19 justify the investigation of the epidemiological impact and immunogenicity of the vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 infection.

COVID-19 is the pandemic disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus. It is a highly contagious viral disease, the condition of which main clinical symptoms are characterized by fever and respiratory symptoms. Evidence indicates to worse outcomes in patients with pre-existing diseases, such as diabetes, arterial hypertension, heart disease, pneumopathies, chronic kidney disease, and immunodeficiencies. Recipients of kidney transplants make prolonged use of immunosuppressive drugs to inhibit the acquired immune response, notably the activity of lymphocytes. Due to this potential to modulate the immune and inflammatory response, it is speculated that the clinical and laboratory condition of COVID-19 in these patients is atypical. Preliminary evidence suggests worse outcomes of COVID-19 in immunosuppressed patients, as carriers of cancer. However, information on kidney transplant recipients is insufficient. So far, only reports of the case are available in the literature with different clinical presentations and outcomes. The aim of this study is, therefore, to characterize the demographics, clinical and laboratory conditions, and the outcomes of COVID-19 in kidney transplant recipients in a national multicenter cohort.