COVID-19 in Liver Transplant Recipients

Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a novel viral disease caused by the SARS-Cov-2 infection with a particular predominance of upper and lower respiratory tract symptoms. First diagnosed in China in late 2019, the virus has progressed to a state of pandemia, involving Spain with a important outbreak. While the outcomes of viral infections in solid organ transplant (SOT) recipients tend to be worse than those from the general population due to chronic immunosuppression, there is little information on the incidence and outcomes of COVID-19 in liver transplant (LT) recipients. LT recipients are usually under less immunosuppression than other SOT and the clinical expression and outcomes of COVID-19 may be different to the reported outcomes in other SOT. The Spanish Society of Liver Transplantation, which includes 25 LT programs, has promoted a nationwide registry for LT with COVID-19 to help ascertain the incidence and outcomes and help evidence-based management .