Maintenance Immunosuppressive Drugs Tied to Severe COVID-19
By Lori Solomon HealthDay Reporter
TUESDAY, Nov. 7, 2023 -- Maintenance immunosuppressive drugs are associated with an increased risk for COVID-19 hospitalization in solid organ transplant recipients, according to a study published online Nov. 7 in JAMA Network Open.
Epiphane Kolla, M.D., M.P.H., from the French National Agency for the Safety of Medicines and Health Products in Paris, and colleagues examined factors associated with severe COVID-19 among solid organ transplant recipients. The analysis included 60,456 participants (median age, 59 years; 63.7 percent male; 68.6 percent kidney transplants, 23.9 percent liver transplants, 8.8 percent heart transplants, and 4.6 percent lung transplants).
The researchers found that 12.7 percent of kidney, 6.4 percent of liver, 12.9 percent of heart, and 18.0 percent of lung transplant recipients were hospitalized for COVID-19. Steroids and mycophenolic acid were associated with a high risk for hospitalization in kidney transplant recipients. Tacrolimus was associated with a decreased risk for hospitalization in liver transplant recipients, while steroids and mycophenolic acid were associated with an increased risk for hospitalizations. Cyclosporine was associated with a decreased risk for hospitalization in heart transplant recipients, while steroids, mycophenolic acid, sirolimus, and everolimus were associated with an increased risk for hospitalization. In lung transplant recipients, only steroids were associated with a high risk for COVID-19 hospitalization.
"Health care professionals should consider these results in treating solid organ transplant recipients with SARS-CoV-2 infection by reducing doses or modifying medications in some cases," the authors write.
One author disclosed ties to industry.
Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.
© 2024 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Posted November 2023
Further Support and Information on COVID-19
Read this next
Second Patient to Receive Pig Kidney Has Organ Removed
WEDNESDAY, June 5, 2024 -- Forty-seven days after becoming the second patient to receive a new kidney from a genetically modified pig, a woman has had to have the organ...
No Decline in Cardiovascular Events Seen With COVID-19 Vaccine After Acute Coronary Syndromes
MONDAY, June 3, 2024 -- Patients who have received at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose after acute coronary syndromes do not have a reduced risk for cardiovascular events...
HTN, Albuminuria Risks No Worse for Kidney Donors Versus Nondonors
THURSDAY, May 30, 2024 -- Living kidney donors and nondonors have similar risks for hypertension and albuminuria, according to a study published online May 23 in the Journal of...
More news resources
- FDA Medwatch Drug Alerts
- Daily MedNews
- News for Health Professionals
- New Drug Approvals
- New Drug Applications
- Drug Shortages
- Clinical Trial Results
- Generic Drug Approvals
Subscribe to our newsletter
Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.