The care of kidney transplant recipients during a global pandemic: Challenges and strategies for success

• Published in: Transplantation reviews (Philadelphia, Pa.) Pa.), 2020-10, Vol.34 (4), p.100567-100567, Article 100567
• Main Authors: Aziz, Fahad, Jorgenson, Margaret R., Garg, Neetika, Mohamed, Maha, Djamali, Arjang, Mandelbrot, Didier, Parajuli, Sandesh
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Betacoronavirus; Coronavirus Infections - diagnosis; Coronavirus Infections - epidemiology; Coronavirus Infections - prevention & control; COVID-19; COVID-19 pandemic; Humans; Kidney Diseases - complications; Kidney Diseases - psychology; Kidney Diseases - surgery; Kidney transplant recipients; Kidney Transplantation; Pandemics - prevention & control; Pneumonia, Viral - diagnosis; Pneumonia, Viral - epidemiology; Pneumonia, Viral - prevention & control; Review; SARS-CoV-2; Socio-economic effects; Strategies to take care
• ISSN: 0955-470X; 1557-9816
• DOI: 10.1016/j.trre.2020.100567

The global pandemic of severe acute respiratory coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which causes the novel beta coronavirus 2019 disease (COVID-19), has become an unprecedented medical, economic, and psychosocial crisis. The pandemic and its management strategies have resulted in immense challenges for health systems, not only in caring for those with COVID-19 but also in the ongoing management of chronic medical conditions. Kidney transplant recipients present a unique challenge given their need for ongoing monitoring and management as well as their higher risk of COVID-19 infection. In the absence of clear guidelines, it is unclear how to best provide routine care to this unique patient population during the pandemic. Rigorous medical and psychosocial patient-centered risk stratification strategies are needed to avoid adverse outcomes in stable solid organ transplant recipients. This review will focus on the challenges faced by kidney transplant recipients and health care providers and provides strategies to address these issues. •Kidney transplant recipients present unique characteristics, including disease vintage, immunosuppression, and a single kidney.•The current COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in immense challenges to the management of patients with a kidney transplant.•In the absence of clear guidelines, it is unclear how to provide the best routine care for this particular group of patients.•This review article is focused on the challenges faced by kidney transplant recipients and health care providers during the current pandemic.