LIVER TRANSPLANTATION DOES NOT SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASE RISK OF MORTALITY FROM SARS-COV-2 INFECTION: INTERNATIONAL REGISTRY DATA

Background Despite concerns that liver transplant (LT) recipients may be at risk of adverse outcomes from COVID-19 due to coexisting medical comorbidities and use of immunosuppression, the impact of SARS-CoV-2 infection in this group remains unclear. Methods Data from LT recipients with laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 were collected by two registries (COVID-Hep.net and COVIDcirrhosis.org). Comparisons were made with non-LT patients from a large UK hospital network. Results From 25th March to 27th June 2020, data for 151 adult LT recipients from 18 countries and 627 non-LT patients were collected. Median ages were 60 and 73 years (p Discussion This is the largest reported cohort of LT recipients with SARS-CoV-2 infection to date. LT was not independently associated with death unlike age and comorbidity. Factors other than transplantation should therefore be preferentially considered when assessing the risks and benefits of immunosuppression and social distancing for LT recipients during the COVID-19 pandemic.