General characteristics of patients included in the COVID-19-liver transplant (LT) cohort versus patients in the non-COVID-19-LT cohort
| COVID-19-LT group (n=35) | Non-COVID-19-LT group (n=70) | P value | |
| General information | |||
| Age, mean±SD | 56.7±13.9 | 57.1±12.9 | 0.879 |
| Male gender, n (%) | 25 (71.4) | 52 (74.3) | 0.755 |
| Ethnicity, n (%) | 0.412 | ||
| Caucasian | 31 (88.6) | 65 (92.9) | |
| African | 3 (8.6) | 2 (2.9) | |
| Asian | 1 (2.9) | 3 (4.3) | |
| History of smoking, n (%) | 6 (17.1) | 30 (42.9) | 0.033 |
| BMI, n (%) | 0.251 | ||
| 18–24.9 | 21 (60) | 30 (42.9) | |
| 24.9–29.9 | 8 (22.9) | 22 (31.4) | |
| >30 | 6 (17.1) | 18 (25.7) | |
| Comorbidities, n (%) | |||
| Hypertension | 14 (40.0) | 35 (50) | 0.333 |
| Diabetes mellitus | 11 (31.4) | 21 (30) | 0.881 |
| Cardiovascular disease | 4 (11.4) | 11 (15.7) | 0.554 |
| Chronic kidney disease | 9 (25.7) | 35 (50) | 0.017 |
| Chronic lung disease | 2 (5.7) | 7 (10) | 0.460 |
| Present tumour | 2 (5.7) | 5 (7.1) | 0.782 |
| Chronic liver disease | 35 (100) | 66 (94.3) | |
| LT-related data | |||
| LT, n (%) | 35 (100) | 70 (100) | 1.000 |
| Re-LT, n (%) | 6 (17.1) | 7 (10) | |
| Underlying liver aetiology, n (%) | 0.200 | ||
| Alcoholic liver disease | 4 (11.4) | 13 (18.6) | |
| Viral hepatitis | 8 (22.9) | 17 (24.3) | |
| NAFLD/NASH | 5 (14.3) | 5 (7.1) | |
| PSC/PBC/AIH | 8 (22.9) | 20 (28.6) | |
| Other | 10 (28.6) | 5 (7.1) | |
| Immunosuppressive therapy, n (%) | |||
| Calcineurin inhibitors | 32 (91.4) | 59 (84.3) | 0.310 |
| Tacrolimus | 30 (93.8) | 55 (93.2) | |
| Ciclosporin | 2 (6.2) | 4 (4.8) | |
| Mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) | 12 (34.3) | 29 (41.4) | 0.479 |
| mTOR inhibitors | 2 (5.7) | 12 (17.1) | 0.104 |
| Sirolimus | 2 (100) | 3 (25.0) | |
| Everolimus | 0 (0) | 9 (75.0) | |
| Steroids | 7 (20.0) | 21 (30.0) | 0.275 |
| Azathioprine | 1 (2.9) | 1 (1.4) | |
| Dose immunosuppressive therapy, mg/day, median (IQR) | |||
| Tacrolimus | 3 (2–4.3) | 3 (1.5–5) | 0.869 |
| MMF | 1000 (937.5–1625) | 1500 (1000–2000_ | 0.150 |
| Steroids | 6.25 (5–9.4) | 5 (5–10) | 0.951 |
| ≥2 immunosuppressant agents | 15 (42.9) | 42 (60.0) | 0.096 |
| Serology-related data | |||
| Positive IgG antibodies against nucleocapsid protein of SARS-CoV-2, n (%) | 28 (80) | 1 (1.4) | <0.001 |
| IgG index level, median (IQR) | 3.73 (1.67–5.1) | 0.03 (0.02–0.06) | <0.001 |
| Positive total-Ig antibodies against spike protein of SARS-CoV-2, n (%) | 34 (97.1) | 2 (2.9) | <0.001 |
| Years from transplant to sampling, median (IQR) | 5.95 (1.38–9.33) | 6.00 (1.73–9.99) | 0.838 |
| Within 1 year, n (%) | 5 (14.3) | 12 (17.1) | 0.583 |
AIH, autoimmune hepatitis; BMI, body mass index; mTOR, mammalian target of rapamycin; NAFLD, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease; NASH, non-alcoholic steatohepatitis; PBC, primary biliary cholangitis; PSC, primary sclerosing cholangitis.