Prevalence of COVID-19 in End Stage Renal Disease Patients on Hemodialysis & Dialysis Providers During SARs-Cov-19 spike in Pakistan.

Abstract

The global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) poses a significant threat to both hemodialysis staff and patients. However, the prevalence of COVID-19 among asymptomatic end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients on chronic hemodialysis (MHD) and healthcare staff including nurses and technicians in dialysis unit remains uncertain. Given that hemodialysis patients and dialysis nurses are particularly prone in congregate settings, this research aimed to examine the prevalence of COVID-19 in two hemodialysis units at Jinnah Hospital, Lahore, Pakistan. This cross-sectional study involved the participation of 198 maintenance hemodialysis patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) and 83 dialysis staff members. These patients or staff members did not have any symptoms at the time of testing. Testing was conducted using qualitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) on nasal & pharyngeal swabs collected from June 18th to June 23rd, 2020. Out of the total participants, 45 out of 198 dialysis patients (22.7%) and 10 out of 83 dialysis staff members (12%) were found to be positive for COVID-19. The overall prevalence of COVID-19, combining patients and staff, was 19.5% (55 out of 281). The mortality rate among the infected patients was 6.6% (3 out of 45). To conclude, the findings of this study demonstrate a significant prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 among hemodialysis staff and patients in Lahore, Pakistan.