• Diagnosis and treatment of COVID-19 in HSCT patients
For patients with upper or lower respiratory symptoms and for patients who have a history of close contact with a person diagnosed with COVID-19, RT-PCR test for COVID-19 and chest CT scan should be considered. Routine bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) is not recommended if the patient has a positive RT-PCR test for COVID-19 unless a co-infection is suspected. If RT-PCR test for COVID-19 is positive or chest CT scan is suspicious of COVID-19, the patient should be managed and treated according to national COVID-19 guideline. Optimal management strategies have not been determined. Supportive care is the mainstay of therapy.
For prophylaxis and treatment of graft versus host disease, immunosuppressive therapy should be continued. Drug-drug interactions of anti-viral drugs with calcineurin inhibitors should be kept in mind.
Finally, the emergence of COVID-19 is a global crisis that the transplant community has been forced to face. We should learn from our experiences and implement the best possible strategies in order to protect our transplant recipients and also the healthcare providers.