Initial Symptom Duration Among Vulnerable Dialysis Patients Hospitalized for Long‐Term Care Correlates With Post‐ <scp>COVID</scp> ‐19 Poor Prognosis

ABSTRACT Introduction Among vulnerable dialysis patients, initial symptom duration of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) has not been investigated extensively. Methods We analyzed 153 dialysis patients with COVID‐19 in a long‐term care hospital between February 2022 and August 2023. We investigated the association between the delayed resolution of the initial symptoms (≥ 6 days), including fever or upper respiratory symptoms, and worse outcomes. These outcomes were defined as either a decrease in the Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index of ≥ 3.6% at 3 months after onset, or all‐cause death within 3 months. Results The duration of the initial symptoms was associated with worse outcomes. This association remained significant after adjustment for patient background, COVID‐19 severity, C‐reactive protein levels at onset, vaccination, and antiviral therapy, using multivariate analysis. Conclusion The duration of the initial symptoms may be a useful indicator for predicting the poor prognosis, including nutritional deterioration after COVID‐19, among vulnerable dialysis patients.