The aim of this study was to estimate the incidence of COVID-19 disease in the French national population of dialysis patients, their course of illness and to identify the risk factors associated with mortality. Our study included all patients on dialysis recorded in the French REIN Registry in April 2020. Clinical characteristics at last follow-up and the evolution of COVID-19 illness severity over time were recorded for diagnosed cases (either suspicious clinical symptoms, characteristic signs on the chest scan or a positive reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction) for SARS-CoV-2. A total of 1,621 infected patients were reported on the REIN registry from March 16th, 2020 to May 4th, 2020. Of these, 344 died. The prevalence of COVID-19 patients varied from less than 1% to 10% between regions. The probability of being a case was higher in males, patients with diabetes, those in need of assistance for transfer or treated at a self-care unit. Dialysis at home was associated with a lower probability of being infected as was being a smoker, a former smoker, having an active malignancy, or peripheral vascular disease. Mortality in diagnosed cases (21%) was associated with the same causes as in the general population. Higher age, hypoalbuminemia and the presence of an ischemic heart disease were statistically independently associated with a higher risk of death. Being treated at a selfcare unit was associated with a lower risk. Thus, our study showed a relatively low frequency of COVID-19 among dialysis patients contrary to what might have been assumed.

Lactic acidosis in diabetics on metformin therapy is rare but still associated with poor prognosis. The authors report here five cases. Three patients were initially with a cardiovascular collapse and all had an acute renal failure. Sodium bicarbonate haemodialysis therapy led to a dramatic improvement. Consciousness and hemodynamic status recovered rapidly. Severe metabolic and blood gases derangements were also rapidly corrected. Plasma metformin removal, appreciated by repeated blood samplings in 3 cases, was satisfactory. All patients survived. However, blood metformin levels remained abnormally high at the end of the dialytic therapy. In conclusion, (1) bicarbonate dialysis is an adequate treatment of lactic acidosis observed in diabetic patients treated with metformin since it rapidly corrects the acid-base disorders and partially removes metformin; (2) the sole accumulation of metformin is not sufficient to explain lactic acidosis since this latter might be corrected in spite of persisting high levels of blood metformin.

To evaluate the adequacy of simple calcium restriction for patients with idiopathic calcium stones the effect of 5 days of calcium restriction without oxalate restriction on renal excretion of calcium and oxalate, and the corresponding probability of stones were assessed in 50 controls and 48 patients. Renal excretion of calcium decreased and that of oxalate increased significantly in all groups but the importance of the changes was critically dependent upon the underlying pathophysiological condition. The probability of stones decreased only in patients with absorptive hypercalciuria type II owing to the usual excessive calcium intake and increased in those with absorptive hypercalciuria type I and renal hypercalciuria, which are associated with true hyperabsorption of calcium and represent the 2 forms of idiopathic hypercalciuria. We believe that simple calcium restriction is beneficial for patients with idiopathic calculi only when the hypercalciuria is caused by exaggerated intake of calcium, since it increases the probability of stones in patients with idiopathic hypercalciuria. Calcium restriction always is associated with an increase in oxalate excretion, suggesting that simultaneous oxalate restriction should be added in all cases to decrease the probability of stones.

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