Home Dialysis: Lessons from COVID-19 and Other Viral Outbreaks
Abdelaali Bahadi, Driss Elkabbaj
Abstract
To the Editor, Many influenza pandemic outbreaks were seen in the last 15 years, the first was H5N1 (avian influenza A),[1] then H1N1 and the coronavirus SRAS and MERS. Currently, the COVID-19 has caused not less than 130,000 infected humans and 8000 deaths. In Morocco, at this time, there are 54 confirmed cases and two deaths, and we are sure that will not be the last outbreak. Patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) are among the groups at high risk for influenza-related complications,[2] and many nephrology societies have published guidelines to manage patients during such a period. However, it is still very difficult to implement, particularly at a dialysis center. Those patients cannot be isolated at home if they have an infection and not many medical centers will be able to treat all these patients in intensive care units if needed. Patients on home therapy are easier to manage in this situation because we can deliver their needs at home. Cho et al found that the risk of pandemic influenza was lower in a PD group than in a HD group.[3] In our country, like many other developing countries, only less than 5% of the dialysis patients are on peritoneal dialysis and no one on home hemodialysis.[4] We feel that this current outbreak of COVID-19 points to the need to rapidly develop home dialysis to manage patient with ESRD and reduce the number of patients with ESRD in hemodialysis centers. Conflict of interest None declared.