Background Kidney replacement therapy (KRT) confers the highest risk of death from COVID-19. However, most data refer to the early pandemic waves. Whole year analysis in comparison with prior secular trends are scarce. Methods We present the 2020 REMER Madrid KRT registry, corresponding to the Spanish Region hardest hit by COVID-19. Results In 2020, KRT incidence decreased 12% versus 2019 while KRT prevalence decreased (−1.75%) for the first time since records began and the number of kidney transplants (KT) decreased by 16%. Mortality on KRT was 10.2% (34% higher than the mean for 2008–2019). The 2019 to 2020 increase in mortality was larger for KT (+68%) than for HD (+24%) or PD (+38%). The most common cause of death was infection (n = 419, 48% of deaths), followed by cardiovascular (200, 23%). Deaths from infection increased by 167% year over year and accounted for 95% of excess deaths in 2020 over 2019. COVID-19 was the most common cause of death (68% of infection deaths, 33% of total deaths). The bulk of COVID-19 deaths (209/285, 73%) occurred during the first COVID-19 wave, which roughly accounted for the increased mortality in 2020. Being a KT recipient was an independent risk factor for COVID-19 death. Conclusions COVID-19 negatively impacted the incidence and prevalence of KRT, but the increase in KRT deaths was localized to the first wave of the pandemic. The increased annual mortality argues against COVID-19 accelerating death of patients with short life expectancy and the temporal pattern of COVID-19 mortality suggests that appropriate healthcare may improve outcomes.

Background and Aims The imbalance between UF and refilling rate is considered a major cause for intradialytic hypotension. Recent studies report a feasable and noninvasive method to estimate vascular refilling by determining absolute blood volume. It was the aim of this study to analyze absolute blood volume in a group of haemodialysis patients and to examine vascular refilling volume. Method Thirty stable chronic HD patients were studied (36,7% female, 63,3% male), aged 71,07 ± 13,31 years. Dialysis duration and UF requirements were based on physician prescription. Vascular refilling was calculated as: VREF = VUF – ΔV, where ΔV is the difference between absolute blood volume at the beginning and the end of dialysis. Relative blood volume monitor (BVM) was used. Hemodial Int. 2016;20(3):484–91. Results Absolute blood volume at the beginning of the dialysis was 6,27 ± 2,78 L (92,44 ± 32,66 ml/kg) and at the end 5,83 ± 2,77 L (85,94 ± 30,44 ml/kg). Ultrafiltration (UF) volume was 2,64 ± 0,82 L (11,14 ± 4,02 ml/kg/h). Vascular refilling was calculated as 2,24 ± 0,74 L, with a refilling fraction of 85,33 ± 11,07%. We found a strong correlation between refilling volume and UF volume (r2 0,861) (Figure 1), and a mild correlation between refilling volume and predialysis volume overload (r2 0,529). Conclusion Measurement of absolute blood volume is easy and noninvasive, and it allows us to study refilling volume. We found a strong correlation between UF volume and refilling volume.

We have found a cellular immune defect (low CD4 T lymphocyte count, high CD8 T lymphocyte count and a low CD4/CD8 ratio) in 39 PDB patients. This finding is not correlated with the bone metabolic activity of the disease. There was an improvement in the cellular immune defect in fifteen patients after treatment with elcatonin. These changes could be related to the improvement in the metabolic derangement or else could be the consequence of an effect on altered immunity.

To determine whether the osteopenia of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is due to reduction of trabecular bone mass (TBV) and/or cortical width (CW), we evaluated these parameters by bone histomorphometry; we also measured the calciotropic hormones parathormone(PTH) and calcitonin (CT), vitamin D [25(OH)D] and the biological markers of bone remodeling in a group of patients with RA. Study subjects were divided into Group C - premenopausal patients, and Group A - menopausal patients and men of the same ages. These groups were compared to two age-matched control groups, B and D. In both A vs. B and C vs. D, TBV and CW were significantly lower in patients. There were no differences in PTH or CT, but 25(OH)D was significantly reduced, and BGP, OHP/Cr and AP were raised in patients. Patients also exhibited TBV loss in more than 55% and CW loss in more than 98%. These changes suggest that the decline in bone mass, mainly cortical, but also trabecular, is due to increased bone turnover and enhanced resorption and seem to reflect intrinsic alterations of RA.

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