A Prospective Single-center Study Assessing the Immunogenicity of Oxford-AstraZeneca Vaccine in Maintenance Hemodialysis Patients.

Abstract

There is a definite paucity of data about the safety and immunogenicity of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine among patients with maintenance hemodialysis (MHD). We aimed to assess the humoral response following this vaccine in a single center of India. In this prospective study, a total of 31 MHD cases were recruited and analyzed. The response was compared with a control group composed of 23 health-care workers. All participants had received two doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca (COVISHIELD) vaccine. The serology testing was done with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 spike protein antibody assay using indirect chemiluminescence immunoassay after 1 month of the second dose. A cutoff of 15 arbitrary unit (AU)/mL was considered a positive seropositive response. The median age of the patients was 44 (36-52.5) years. Five cases were pretransplant and three were posttransplant with graft failures. Fourteen (45.1%) cases had a 4-week gap between the two doses whereas 17 (54.9%) had an 8-week gap. The median (interquartile range) antibody levels of the MHD and control groups were 400 (315-400) and 398 (367-400) AU/mL, respectively (P = 0.37). All MHD and control groups developed a positive seroresponse. There was no difference in antibody response concerning age, sex, dialysis vintage, or dosing schedule. However, there was a significant difference in the level of antibody response for the MHD cases on immunosuppressive drugs (P = 0.02). The humoral response in maintenance dialysis patients with Oxford-AstraZeneca was comparable to general patients in our report, and immunosuppressive medications were associated with a decreased seroresponse.