why choose us

Course: COVID-19 Risk Factors and Mortality Outcomes Among Medicare Patients Receiving Long-term Dialysis

CME Credits: 1.00

Released: 2021-11-17

Key Points

Question What are the characteristics and mortality outcomes associated with COVID-19 among Medicare patients undergoing long-term dialysis?
Findings This cohort study among 498,169 patients receiving regular maintenance dialysis found several risk factors for COVID-19 that persisted as risk factors for mortality: nursing home status, time on dialysis, congestive heart failure, diabetes, and comorbidity burden. Higher COVID-19 rates were observed among Black patients, while attenuated survival differences were observed between Black and non-Black patients, and although male sex was not associated with a higher COVID-19 rate, it was associated with higher mortality among patients with COVID-19.
Meaning These findings suggest that among patients undergoing long-term dialysis, Black race, male sex, nursing home status, and having comorbidities, such as diabetes and cardiac diseases, were associated with higher risk of COVID-19 and higher post–COVID-19 mortality.

Abstract

Importance There is a need for studies to evaluate the risk factors for COVID-19 and mortality among the entire Medicare long-term dialysis population using Medicare claims data.
Objective To identify risk factors associated with COVID-19 and mortality in Medicare patients undergoing long-term dialysis.
Design, Setting, and Participants This retrospective, claims-based cohort study compared mortality trends of patients receiving long-term dialysis in 2020 with previous years (2013-2019) and fit Cox regression models to identify risk factors for contracting COVID-19 and postdiagnosis mortality. The cohort included the national population of Medicare patients receiving long-term dialysis in 2020, derived from clinical and administrative databases. COVID-19 was identified through Medicare claims sources. Data were analyzed on May 17, 2021.
Main Outcomes and Measures The 2 main outcomes were COVID-19 and all-cause mortality. Associations of claims-based risk factors with COVID-19 and mortality were investigated prediagnosis and postdiagnosis.
Results Among a total of 498,169 Medicare patients undergoing dialysis (median [IQR] age, 66 [56-74] years; 215,935 [43.1%] women and 283,227 [56.9%] men), 60,090 (12.1%) had COVID-19, among whom 15,612 patients (26.0%) died. COVID-19 rates were significantly higher among Black (21,787 of 165,830 patients [13.1%]) and Hispanic (13,530 of 86,871 patients [15.6%]) patients compared with non-Black patients (38,303 of 332,339 [11.5%]), as well as patients with short (ie, 1-89 days; 7738 of 55,184 patients [14.0%]) and extended (ie, -90 days; 10,737 of 30,196 patients [35.6%]) nursing home stays in the prior year. Adjusting for all other risk factors, residing in a nursing home 1 to 89 days in the prior year was associated with a higher hazard for COVID-19 (hazard ratio [HR] vs 0 days, 1.60; 95% CI 1.56-1.65) and for postdiagnosis mortality (HR, 1.31; 95% CI, 1.25-1.37), as was residing in a nursing home for an extended stay (COVID-19: HR, 4.48; 95% CI, 4.37-4.59; mortality: HR, 1.12; 95% CI, 1.07-1.16). Black race (HR vs non-Black: HR, 1.25; 95% CI, 1.23-1.28) and Hispanic ethnicity (HR vs non-Hispanic: HR, 1.68; 95% CI, 1.64-1.72) were associated with significantly higher hazards of COVID-19. Although home dialysis was associated with lower COVID-19 rates (HR, 0.77; 95% CI, 0.75-0.80), it was associated with higher mortality (HR, 1.18; 95% CI, 1.11-1.25).
Conclusions and Relevance These results shed light on COVID-19 risk factors and outcomes among Medicare patients receiving long-term chronic dialysis and could inform policy decisions to mitigate the significant extra burden of COVID-19 and death in this population.


Educational Objective
To identify the key insights or developments described in this article


View Full Course