Introduction:
Children appear to be less commonly and less severely affected by COVID-19 than adults, accounting for 1% to 5% of all COVID-19 cases.
The COVID-19 pandemic has challenged pediatric kidney transplant programs to provide safe and consistent care during this difficult and unprecedented time.
Methods:
So far during this pandemic, best practices being delivered to pediatric kidney transplant patients are based on available information from published literature and expert opinions.
Results:
The key areas of pediatric kidney transplant care that may be affected by the COVID-19 pandemic include transplant activity, outpatient clinic activity, monitoring, multidisciplinary care, medications (immunosuppression and others), patient/family education/support, school and employment, and care of pediatric kidney transplant patients who are COVID-19 positive. It has been presumed that children with chronic kidney disease and/or those who take immunosuppressants may be at increased risk for complications from COVID-19 infection; however, available evidence has now suggested that immunosuppressed children with kidney transplant are not at increased risk of severe COVID-19 disease.
Clinicians should remain aware that transplant recipients may present with atypical symptoms. In addition, because evidence-based reports to support specific adjustments to immunosuppressive medications in relation to COVID-19 are not yet available, decisions on reduction or discontinuation of immunosuppression should be on a case-by-case basis for kidney transplant recipients who are COVID-19 positive.
Conclusions:
Reports to support evidence-based management of pediatric kidney transplant patients during the COVID-19 pandemic are lacking; therefore, expert opinion and available knowledge and experience remain subject to biases.
I have no potential conflict of interest to disclose.
I did not use generative AI and AI-assisted technologies in the writing process.