Spike and neutralizing antibodies response to COVID-19 vaccination in haemodialysis patients.

BACKGROUND: Humoral response to the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) vaccines needs to be evaluated in the fragile population of patients on maintenance haemodialysis (HD). METHODS: We analysed the antibody response to the spike (S) antigen of SARS-CoV-2 before and after each dose of the messenger RNA (mRNA) Comirnaty vaccine (BNT162b2; BioNTech & Pfizer) in patients from a single dialysis centre and detected the presence of neutralizing antibodies (Nabs). RESULTS: Among the 90 vaccinated HD patients (mean age 69 years, 61% male), 19 (21%) had a history of SARS-CoV-2 infection. A seroconversion with anti-S immunoglobulin G antibodies (Sabs) was documented in 20% of patients after the first dose (early responders) and in 77% after the second dose, while 23% were non-responders. Cardiac disease, cirrhosis and gamma globulin levels were independently predictive of the absence of seroconversion. Nabs were detected in 15.4% of early responders after the first dose and in 84.6% of early responders and 57.9% of late responders after the second dose. Sab titres after the second dose were higher in patients with Nab than without Nab {598 [interquartile range (IQR) 246-882]) versus 134 [IQR 61-390]; P < 0.0001}. All patients with a history of SARS-CoV-2 infection developed both Sabs and Nabs and their titres for Sabs and Nabs were higher than in late responders. CONCLUSIONS: Most HD patients develop a substantial humoral response against SARS-CoV2, with Nabs, following the mRNA vaccine. Whether this immunity persists over time and is able to efficiently protect patients from coronavirus disease 2019 remains to be determined.

Triage of Patients Suspected of COVID-19 in Chronic Hemodialysis: Eosinophil Count Differentiates Low and High Suspicion of COVID-19.

BACKGROUND: Daily management to shield chronic dialysis patients from SARS-CoV-2 contamination makes patient care cumbersome. There are no screening methods to date and a molecular biology platform is essential to perform RT-PCR for SARS-CoV-2; however, accessibility remains poor. Our goal was to assess whether the tools routinely used to monitor our hemodialysis patients could represent reliable and quickly accessible diagnostic indicators to improve the management of our hemodialysis patients in this pandemic environment. METHODS: In this prospective observational diagnostic study, we recruited patients from La Conception hospital. Patients were eligible for inclusion if suspected of SARS-CoV-2 infection when arriving at our center for a dialysis session between March 12th and April 24th 2020. They were included if both RT-PCR result for SARS-CoV-2 and cell blood count on the day that infection was suspected were available. We calculated the area under the curve (AUC) of the receiver operating characteristic curve. RESULTS: 37 patients were included in the final analysis, of which 16 (43.2%) were COVID-19 positive. For the day of suspected COVID-19, total leukocytes were significantly lower in the COVID-19 positive group (4.1 vs. 7.4 G/L, p = 0.0072) and were characterized by lower neutrophils (2.7 vs. 5.1 G/L, p = 0.021) and eosinophils (0.01 vs. 0.15 G/L, p = 0.0003). Eosinophil count below 0.045 G/L identified SARS-CoV-2 infection with AUC of 0.9 [95% CI 0.81-1] (p < 0.0001), sensitivity of 82%, specificity of 86%, a positive predictive value of 82%, a negative predictive value of 86% and a likelihood ratio of 6.04. CONCLUSIONS: Eosinophil count enables rapid routine screening of symptomatic chronic hemodialysis patients suspected of being COVID-19 within a range of low or high probability.

Risk factors for severity of COVID-19 in chronic dialysis patients from a multicentre French cohort.

BACKGROUND: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an emerging infectious disease, related to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection. Few data are available in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD). METHODS: We conducted an observational cohort study of COVID-19 patients at 11 dialysis centres in two distinct districts of France to examine the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of COVID-19 in this population, and to determine risk factors of disease severity (defined as a composite outcome including intensive care unit admission or death) and mortality. RESULTS: Among the 2336 patients enrolled, 5.5% had confirmed COVID-19 diagnosis. Of the 122 patients with a follow-up superior to 28 days, 37% reached the composite outcome and 28% died. Multivariate analysis showed that oxygen therapy on diagnosis and a decrease in lymphocyte count were independent risk factors associated with disease severity and with mortality. Chronic use of angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs) (18% of patients) was associated with a protective effect on mortality. Treatment with azithromycin and hydroxychloroquine (AZT/HCQ) (46% of patients) were not associated with the composite outcome and with death in univariate and multivariate analyses. CONCLUSIONS: COVID-19 is a severe disease with poor prognosis in patients with ESRD. Usual treatment with ARBs seems to be protective of critical evolution and mortality. There is no evidence of clinical benefit with the combination of AZT/HCQ.

[Uro- and nephrotoxic effects of drugs of abuse: Literature review and pharmaco-epidemiological survey in France and in the Marseille area]. / Effets uro-néphrologiques des produits utilisés par les usagers de drogues : revue de la littérature et enquête pharmaco-épidémiologique en France et dans la région de Marseille.

A great diversification of drugs of abuse has been observed in recent years, both in the populations using them and in the types of drugs. Although dependency and psychiatric disorders associated with the abuse of these substances is well known, somatic complications, uro-nephrotoxicity in particular, are less recognized. We propose here an overview of the products used by drugs abusers in France, through the analysis of the national pharmaco-epidemiological study Observation des produits psychotropes illicites ou détournés de leur utilisation médicamenteuse (OPPIDUM). Among the 5003 patients who participated in this survey, 84% were on prescribed psychoactive substances, with indicators of abuse in 28% of cases; more than half of these patients had also been using drugs of abuse (mainly cannabis) in the previous week. We then describe the main urological and renal toxicities of these drugs, in particular of heroin, cocaine, cannabis, ecstasy, LSD, amphetamine, new designer drugs, ketamine and opiate substitution treatment. We finally present a pharmaco-epidemiological survey of patients hospitalized for drugs complications in nephrology at the university hospital of Marseille. Between 2000 and 2015, 22 patients aged 18 to 57 years were hospitalized for renal adverse effects of drugs of abuse, such as glomerulonephritides, focal segmental glomerulosclerosis, acute kidney injury or chronic kidney disease. The somatic complications of drugs participate in their dangerousness and should be a red flag. They should be systematically reported to the addictovigilance national network to allow the improvement of information given to the patients and the medical community, and to adapt the prevention and risk reduction policies.