Clinical Characteristics and Outcomes of Immunocompromised Patients With Coronavirus Disease 2019 Caused by the Omicron Variant: A Prospective, Observational Study

• Published in: Clinical infectious diseases Vol. 76; no. 3; pp. e172 - e178
• Main Authors: Malahe, S Reshwan K, Hoek, Rogier A S, Dalm, Virgil A S H, Broers, Annoek E C, den Hoed, Caroline M, Manintveld, Olivier C, Baan, Carla C, van Deuzen, Charlotte M, Papageorgiou, Grigorios, Bax, Hannelore I, Van Kampen, Jeroen J, Hellemons, Merel E, Kho, Marcia M L, de Vries, Rory D, Molenkamp, Richard, Reinders, Marlies E J, Rijnders, Bart J A
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Oxford University Press 08-02-2023
• Subjects: Antibodies, Viral; Blood Group Antigens; COVID-19; Humans; Immunocompromised Host; Immunoglobulin G; Major; Prospective Studies; SARS-CoV-2; COVID-19; immunocompromised patients; Omicron; therapy; outcome
• ISSN: 1058-4838; 1537-6591
• DOI: 10.1093/cid/ciac571

Illness after infection with the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Omicron variant is less severe compared with previous variants. Data on the disease burden in immunocompromised patients are lacking. We investigated the clinical characteristics and outcomes of immunocompromised patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by Omicron.
Organ transplant recipients, patients on anti-CD20 therapy, and allogenic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation recipients infected with the Omicron variant were included. Characteristics of consenting patients were collected and patients were contacted regularly until symptom resolution. To identify possible risk factors for hospitalization, a univariate logistic analysis was performed.
114 consecutive immunocompromised patients were enrolled. Eighty-nine percent had previously received 3 mRNA vaccinations. While only 1 patient died, 23 (20%) were hospitalized for a median of 11 days. A low SARS-CoV-2 immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibody response (<300 BAU [binding antibody units]/mL) at diagnosis, being older, being a lung transplant recipient, having more comorbidities, and having a higher frailty score were associated with hospital admission (all P < .01). At the end of follow-up, 25% had still not fully recovered. Of the 23 hospitalized patients, 70% had a negative and 92% had a low IgG (<300 BAU/mL) antibody response at admission. Sotrovimab was administered to 17 of these patients, and 1 died.
While the mortality in immunocompromised patients infected with Omicron was low, hospital admission was frequent and the duration of symptoms often prolonged. In addition to vaccination, other interventions are needed to limit the morbidity from COVID-19 in immunocompromised patients.