Routine biomarkers for the severity of covid-19 pneumonia may present differently in kidney transplant recipients

Abstract Background and Aims The treatment of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is based on the patient’s clinical status and levels of inflammatory biomarkers. The comparative activity of these biomarkers in KT patients with COVID-19 pneumonia from severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and non-SARS-CoV-2 aetiologies is unknown. The aim of this study was to compare the clinical presentation and inflammatory parameters at admission of KT patients with COVID-19 pneumonia and those with non-COVID-19 pneumonia over the same period. Method Biomarkers were measured and compared between KT patients with COVID-19 pneumonia (n=42) and non-COVID-19 pneumonia (n=18) from March to November 2020. Results Both groups showed comparable demographics. The COVID-19 KT patients had fewer neutrophils (4,650 [2,925-9,498] vs. 9,100 [7,170-11,150],p=0.01) than the non-COVID group, although there was no significant difference in the lymphocyte count. Non-COVID-19 pneumonia was associated with a higher d-dimer (962 [427-1,448] vs. 1,704 [868-2,481],p=0.09) and IL-6 (37 [23-10] vs 254 [53-602],p=0.006) levels. The ferritin level was higher in the COVID-19 group (908 [496-1,377] vs. 340 [264-785],p=0.008). Conclusion COVID-19 pneumonia in KT recipients shows a different presentation of inflammatory biomarkers than other non-COVID pneumonias. It could be usefully to identify KT patients with COVID-19.More detailed studies are necessary to understand the presentation of biomarkers in KT with COVID-19.