The clinical course of COVID-19 in hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) recipients

Authors: AYŞE KARATAŞ, ÜMİT YAVUZ MALKAN, MUSTAFA VELET, HALUK DEMİROĞLU, YAHYA BÜYÜKAŞIK, GÜLÇİN TELLİ DİZMAN, AHMET ÇAĞKAN İNKAYA, BATUHAN ERDOĞDU, OLGU ERKİN ÇINAR, ELİFCAN ALADAĞ KARAKULAK, SALİH AKSU, İBRAHİM CELALETTİN HAZNEDAROĞLU, OSMAN İLHAMİ ÖZCEBE, NİLGÜN SAYINALP, HAKAN GÖKER

Abstract: Background/aim: The disease caused by SARS-CoV-2 was named as COVID-19. There is as yet insufficient information about the effects of HSCT on the clinical course of COVID-19. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the clinical course of COVID-19 in patients who had undergone HSCT. Materials and methods: We analyzed baseline characteristics, clinical course and findings of COVID-19, hospitalization and death rates, overall survival, and case fatality rates of HSCT recipients diagnosed with COVID-19 retrospectively. Results: 57.6% of the patients underwent AHSCT, and 42.4% underwent allo-HSCT. 60.6%, 27.3%, and 12.1% of the patients had mild, moderate, and severe COVID-19 or critical illness, respectively. Overall, 45.5% were hospitalized, 12.1% required intensive care, and 9.1% necessitated invasive mechanical ventilation. The total CFR was 9.1% in HSCT recipients, 22.2% in patients with active hematologic malignancy, and 4.2% in patients without active hematologic malignancy. Conclusion: It can be concluded that mortality of HSCT recipients is lower in patients whose primary disease is in remission compared to ones that are not in remission. Further studies with larger group patients are needed in order to delineate the effects of COVID-19 on HSCT patients.

Keywords: Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, bone marrow transplant, COVID-19

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