Management of COVID-19 in Liver Transplant Recipients With Immunosuppressant Therapy: Experiences of an Iranian Transplant Registry

Objectives: With the declaration of the COVID-19 pandemic and the increased COVID-19 risk shown in transplant recipients, the prevalence, clinical course, and outcomes of COVID-19 infections among liver transplant recipients were assessed. Materials and Methods: A questionnaire was designed and used to survey medical services for liver transplant recipients seen at our center in terms of COVID-19 infection. Results: Twenty-five patients infected with COVID-19 were identified from 265 liver transplant recipients. Most patients were male and had COVID-19 despite quarantine at home. All patients received modified immunosuppressive drugs during infection with COVID-19 with minor changes in routine immunosup pressive therapy. Among the identified patients, 21 recovered and 4 patients died. One of the dead patients, in addition to having a liver transplant, had brain cancer with metastasis to the lungs. Conclusions: In liver transplant recipients infected with only mild to moderate illnesses or even helped them recover from the disease. However, more evidence is needed to prove this hypothesis. It is also