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The following is the summary of “Characterizing the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on adults with autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease: a cross-sectional study,” published in the August 2024 issue of Nephrology by Shetty et al.

The COVID-19 pandemic significantly disrupted healthcare for people with chronic diseases, affecting the access to medical care and how they seek help. However, the effects on adults with Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease (ADPKD) remain unexplored.

Researchers conducted a retrospective study to understand how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted healthcare experiences and behaviors among adults with ADPKD. 

They recruited 66 participants from 239 patients with ADPKD group at the University of Maryland, excluding individuals on renal replacement therapy. From June to December 2022, patients answered a phone survey about ADPKD complications, COVID-19 concerns, healthcare-seeking behaviors, and telehealth use before and after March 2020. 

The result showed that out of all the patients, 34 (51.5%) tested positive for COVID-19, 29 (44%) were highly concerned about contracting it, 17 (25.8%) patients avoided medical care at least once but had similar demographics, and ADPKD severity to those who did not. The patients reported greater telehealth use (88.2% vs. 42.9%, P= 0.002), higher use of non-prescribed COVID-19 medications (35.3% vs. 8.2%, P= 0.01), and were more likely to contract COVID-19 (76.5% vs. 42.9%, P= 0.02). Among the 53 who reported good or excellent ADPKD disease management pre-pandemic, 47 (89%) reported no significant change during the pandemic.

Investigators concluded that in this educated, high-income group with good ADPKD management, concerns about COVID-19 were low; a quarter of patients have avoided healthcare, which may have long-term effects. Future studies should explore avoidant behaviors and include more diverse populations.

Source: bmcnephrol.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12882-024-03685-w