Prevalence of COVID-19 Pneumonia and Clinical Characteristics in Hemodialysis Patients During the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron Pandemic

BACKGROUND: Omicron variants of COVID-19 have driven global waves of infection. Hemodialysis patients are particularly vulnerable to severe outcomes. However, clinical data on the impact of Omicron infection in hemodialysis patients remain limited. METHODS: We retrospectively collected clinical data on hemodialysis patients infected with the COVID-19 Omicron variant at Huashan Hospital between March 31 and May 3, 2022, a period marked by a rapid increase in COVID-19 cases. Patients were categorized into two groups based on chest CT: the non-COVID-19 pneumonia group and the COVID-19 pneumonia group. Additionally, 74 diabetic patients who did not receive hemodialysis and who contracted COVID-19 during the study period were analyzed as controls. RESULTS: A total of 150 hemodialysis patients were admitted to the hospital during this period, and 3 were excluded because of a lack of chest CT. At admission, 105 (71.4%) patients were diagnosed with COVID-19 pneumonia on the basis of chest CT. In contrast, 41.9% of non-hemodialysis diabetic patients exhibited manifestations of COVID-19 pneumonia. In dialysis patients, compared to the non-pneumonia group, the pneumonia group was older (65.7 ± 12.0 vs. 59.9 ± 16.3 years; p = 0.041) and had a higher prevalence of diabetes (39.0% vs. 11.9%; p = 0.003). The median time from the initial positive RT‒PCR result for SARS-CoV-2 to the first negative result was similar between the two groups. Serum levels of fibrinogen, NT-pro-BNP, and creatinine were independent factors associated with CT-defined COVID-19 pneumonia Conclusions: Hemodialysis patients had a higher prevalence of COVID-19 pneumonia. The fibrinogen level was an independent factor associated with CT-defined COVID-19 pneumonia.