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Dialysis patients are a highly vulnerable demographic due to limited social distancing when receiving treatment. They are also at a higher risk of hospitalization and death due to high risk factors.
In the early months of the COVID-19 Pandemic, dialysis patients were hit hard by virus. In the first half of 2020, an estimated 11,200 COVID-19 hospitalized patients among Medicare beneficiaries were dialysis patients as well. In fact, the all-cause mortality rate among dialysis patients from March 29, 2020 – April 25, 2020 was 37% higher than the entire period of 2017 – 2019.
Patients who were undergoing peritoneal dialysis (PD) had a 67% lower risk of being hospitalized due to COVID-19 than patients undergoing hemodialysis. Today, receiving dialysis at home is the preferred method. Undergoing dialysis from the comfort of the person’s home, is the safest option, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Not only is it safer, but it provides a better quality of life for both the patient and their family.
References:
- https://www.renalandurologynews.com/home/news/nephrology/end-stage-renal-disease/COVID-19-pandemic-end-stage-kidney-disease-inpatients-all-cause-mortality-race/
- https://www.ajkd.org/article/S0272-6386(21)00025-1/fulltext