Hospitalizations for non-SARS-CoV-2 respiratory infectious diseases among patients on hemodialysis: A comparison before and during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic

Introduction: The impact of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection control on other infections in patients with dialysis has not received sufficient consideration.Methods: We compared hospitalization and mortality rates among patients who underwent hemodialysis (HD) at three dialysis centers before (March 2018-February 2020) and during (March 2020-February 2022) the COVID-19 pandemic.Results: This study included 1696 patients undergoing HD (mean age, 70 years; 1099 men). Compared to before the COVID-19 pandemic, the emergency hospitalization rate (per 100 dialysis patient-years) for non-severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) respiratory infectious diseases (IDs) (7.0 vs. 4.1, p < 0.001) significantly decreased during the COVID-19 pandemic, whereas the hospitalization rates for other IDs were comparable. The mortality rates for non-SARS-CoV-2 respiratory IDs were comparable before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.Conclusions: Hospitalizations for non-SARS-CoV-2 respiratory IDs among patients undergoing HD may have decreased owing to the implementation of infection control measures for COVID-19.

Automated summary

This study examines the impact of COVID-19 on infections in patients undergoing hemodialysis. The findings suggest that hospitalization rates for non-SARS-CoV-2 respiratory infectious diseases decreased significantly during the COVID-19 pandemic, while hospitalization rates for other infections remained comparable.