COVID-19 infection is mild and has minimal impact on lung function in well vaccinated and widely treated lung transplant recipients

Copyright © 2024 International Society for the Heart and Lung Transplantation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved..

BACKGROUND: COVID-19 has become a common infection affecting lung transplant recipients (LTR), who are at high risk for poor outcomes. Outcomes early in the pandemic were poor, but since the rollout of vaccination and novel COVID-19 treatments, outcomes of LTR have not been well described. Our aim was to evaluate the effect of COVID-19 on the clinical course and lung function trajectory in an Australian cohort of LTR.

METHODS: Data were retrospectively collected from LTR with confirmed COVID-19 managed at Alfred Health, between August 2020 and December 2022. Baseline demographics, COVID-19 disease details (including severity) and spirometry pre- and postinfection have been analyzed.

RESULTS: A total of 279 LTR were included. The cohort was comorbid, but well vaccinated, with 275/279 (98.6%) having ≥2 COVID-19 vaccines at symptom onset. Severe disease occurred in only 17 cases (6%) and overall mortality was very low (4%). Prompt treatment with antivirals, particularly remdesevir (OR 0.18, 95% CI 0.04-0.81, p = 0.02) and vaccination (OR 0.24, CI 0.08-0.81, p = 0.01), was protective. There was not a clinically significant drop in lung function post-COVID-19 with the median absolute decline in forced expiratory volume (FEV1) being 40 ml (IQR 5-120 ml, p < 0.001), with a decline of >10% occurring in only 42 patients (17%). After multivariate adjustment, only rejection before COVID-19 was significantly associated with FEV1 decline afterward (OR 3.74, 1.12-11.86, p = 0.03).

CONCLUSIONS: In our highly COVID-19 vaccinated, promptly treated LTR, the majority of COVID-19 infections were mild and did not result in a clinically significant decline in lung function.

Medienart:

E-Artikel

Erscheinungsjahr:

2024

Erschienen:

2024

Enthalten in:

Zur Gesamtaufnahme - year:2024

Enthalten in:

The Journal of heart and lung transplantation : the official publication of the International Society for Heart Transplantation - (2024) vom: 24. Feb.

Sprache:

Englisch

Beteiligte Personen:

Ennis, Samantha L [VerfasserIn]
Levvey, Bronwyn J [VerfasserIn]
Shingles, Helen V [VerfasserIn]
Lee, Sue J [VerfasserIn]
Snell, Gregory I [VerfasserIn]
Gardiner, Bradley J [VerfasserIn]

Links:

Volltext

Themen:

COVID-19
Immunosuppression
Journal Article
Lung transplant
Solid organ transplant
Spirometry

Anmerkungen:

Date Revised 17.03.2024

published: Print-Electronic

Citation Status Publisher

doi:

10.1016/j.healun.2024.02.1453

funding:

Förderinstitution / Projekttitel:

PPN (Katalog-ID):

NLM368985083