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.

This nationwide study highlights the prognostic factors for PTLD and enables the development of a new prognostic score. After validation in an independent cohort, the use of this score should allow treatment strategies to be better tailored to individual patients in the future.

High-dose enalapril increases rHuEpo requirement and should be reserved for dialysis patients with hypertension uncontrollable with other antihypertensive medications or dialysis patients with cardiac failure.

High-dose alfacalcidol is efficient in anaemic patients with moderate hyperparathyroidism on maintenance HD and has a direct effect on erythropoietic cells regardless of serum calcium and iPTH levels.

Findings from this randomized, multicenter trial indicate that kidney function recovery, wound healing, efficacy, and tolerance are similar at 3 months posttransplant with immediate or DE in patients at protocol-specified risk of DGF.