Covid second wave proved deadly for dialysis patients: Study
“The second wave in India was characterised by an increased overall mortality among patients on dialysis," said the Study
Hyderabad: A new study on chronic kidney patients who are on dialysis support in Telangana and across other parts of the country has indicated that mortality among such patients was high during the intense second wave of Covid-19.
As part of the study, researchers from a clutch of top institutions across India, including Hyderabad, examined the mortality data and impact of Covid-19 vaccination on patients in Nephro Plus network of dialysis facilities during the second wave between March 15 and June 15.
“The second wave in India was characterised by an increased overall mortality among patients on dialysis. Vaccination reduced the risk of development of symptomatic Covid-19 and mortality in this population,” the study, published on August 8 as a pre-proof at Kidney International Reports (KI) of International Society of Nephrology (ISN), said.
The characteristics of dialysis patients were extracted from unit records, and outcome data along with vaccination status of all patients were collected. Out of 17,662 patients on haemodialysis during this period, 1,111 were found to be positive for SARS-CoV-2, the study said.
Of the Covid-hit patients, 364 (32.76 per cent) expired. The mortality during the second wave was higher than that in the first wave and even in pre-Covid period of 2019. Diabetes, older age and need for hospitalisation were associated with mortality in adjusted models, the study said.
The mean average of patients’ age was between 13 years and 53 years, with males forming 70 per cent of the entire patient cohort. Individuals who had received even one dose of the vaccine had 33 per cent reduced risk of being infected with the virus and 46 per cent lower risk of mortality in adjusted models even after being diagnosed with Covid-19.
Researchers, including Ashok K Yadav from Department of Experimental Medicine and Biotechnology, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Institute Education and Research, Chandigarh; Suresh Sankarasubbaiyan, BG Mallikarjuna Gowda, Kamal Shah from NephroPlus, Hyderabad; and nephrologist and executive director of George Institute of Global Health, India, Dr Vivekananda Jha were the study authors.
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