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Review
. 2020 Aug;24(4):361-365.
doi: 10.1111/1744-9987.13531.

COVID-19 of dialysis patients in Japan: Current status and guidance on preventive measures

COVID-19 Task Force Committee of the Japanese Association of Dialysis Physicians; Japanese Society for Dialysis Therapy; Japanese Society of Nephrology; Kan Kikuchi  1 , Masaomi Nangaku  2 , Munekazu Ryuzaki  3 , Tomoyuki Yamakawa  4 , Norio Hanafusa  5 , Ken Sakai  6 , Yoshihiko Kanno  7 , Ryoichi Ando  8 , Toshio Shinoda  9 , Hidetomo Nakamoto  10 , Tadao Akizawa  11
Affiliations
Review

COVID-19 of dialysis patients in Japan: Current status and guidance on preventive measures

COVID-19 Task Force Committee of the Japanese Association of Dialysis Physicians et al. Ther Apher Dial. 2020 Aug.

Abstract

In Japan, the first case of COVID-19 in dialysis patients was reported on March 1, 2020. A total of 31 cases were reported by April 10, and it increased to 95 by May 15. Thereafter, with the rapid increase in the number of COVID-19 cases in the general population since late March, there was a not surprising increase in the number of COVID-19 cases in dialysis patients. The mortality rate is 16.2% (16/99 cases) in dialysis patients, which is higher than 5.3% (874/16 532 cases) in the general population. This higher mortality rate in dialysis patients with COVID-19 might be related to their age; the majority of COVID-19 cases are aged between 70 and 90 years old in dialysis patients, compared with between 20 and 60 years old in the general population. As COVID-19 presents with severe symptoms and is associated with a high mortality rate in dialysis patients, dialysis patients who have contracted severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection confirmed by polymerase chain reaction testing are required to be hospitalized under Japanese government policy. In cases of COVID-19 hospitalizations, it is essential to prevent nosocomial infection. Therefore, patients must be sufficiently instructed in infection prevention and robust measures to prevent contraction and spread of the infection must be taken at dialysis facilities.

Keywords: COVID-19; dialysis; guidance; infection control; severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no potential conflict of interest.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Cases with COVID‐19 in the general population in Japan (as of May 27, 2020). Data are based on the report of the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare as on May 27, 2020, at 6 pm. The mortality rate is higher in cases aged ≥70 years old compared to 5.3% in the overall general population
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Cases with COVID‐19 in dialysis patients in Japan (as of May 29, 2020). Data is based on the case report from dialysis facilities in COVID‐19 Control Joint Committee as of May 29, 2020, at 8 am. The mortality rate is higher in cases aged ≥70 years old compared to 16.2% in overall dialysis patients
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References

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    1. The Japanese Association of Dialysis Physicians . The first issue on the measures against SARS‐CoV2 associated pneumonia in dialysis facilities [in Japanese]. Available from: http://www.touseki‐ikai.or.jp/htm/03_info/doc/20200204_corona_virus_1.pdf
    1. The Japanese Association of Dialysis Physicians . The second issue on the measures against SARS‐CoV2 associated pneumonia in dialysis facilities [in Japanese]. Available from: http://www.touseki‐ikai.or.jp/htm/03_info/doc/20200226_corona_virus_4.pdf
    1. The Japanese Association of Dialysis Physicians . The third issue on the measures against COVID‐19 in dialysis facilities [in Japanese]. Available from: http://www.touseki-ikai.or.jp/htm/03_info/doc/20200304_corona_virus_6.pdf
    1. The Japanese Association of Dialysis Physicians . The third issue on the measures against COVID‐19 in dialysis facilities [in Japanese]. Available from: http://www.touseki-ikai.or.jp/htm/03_info/doc/20200401_corona_virus_11.pdf

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