Prevalence of COVID-19 Pneumonia and Clinical Characteristics in Hemodialysis Patients During the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron Pandemic.

Publication date: Jun 16, 2026

Omicron variants of COVID-19 have driven global waves of infection. Hemodialysis patients are particularly vulnerable to severe outcomes. However, clinical data on the impact of Omicron infection in hemodialysis patients remain limited. We retrospectively collected clinical data on hemodialysis patients infected with the COVID-19 Omicron variant at Huashan Hospital between March 31 and May 3, 2022, a period marked by a rapid increase in COVID-19 cases. Patients were categorized into two groups based on chest CT: the non-COVID-19 pneumonia group and the COVID-19 pneumonia group. Additionally, 74 diabetic patients who did not receive hemodialysis and who contracted COVID-19 during the study period were analyzed as controls. A total of 150 hemodialysis patients were admitted to the hospital during this period, and 3 were excluded because of a lack of chest CT. At admission, 105 (71. 4%) patients were diagnosed with COVID-19 pneumonia on the basis of chest CT. In contrast, 41. 9% of non-hemodialysis diabetic patients exhibited manifestations of COVID-19 pneumonia. In dialysis patients, compared to the non-pneumonia group, the pneumonia group was older (65. 7 +/- 12. 0 vs. 59. 9 +/- 16. 3 years; p = 0. 041) and had a higher prevalence of diabetes (39. 0% vs. 11. 9%; p = 0. 003). The median time from the initial positive RT‒PCR result for SARS-CoV-2 to the first negative result was similar between the two groups. Serum levels of fibrinogen, NT-pro-BNP, and creatinine were independent factors associated with CT-defined COVID-19 pneumonia Conclusions: Hemodialysis patients had a higher prevalence of COVID-19 pneumonia. The fibrinogen level was an independent factor associated with CT-defined COVID-19 pneumonia.

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