Background: Immune response assessed by the quantification of neutralizing antibodies (nAbs) and predictors associated with immunogenicity after the prime-boost ChAdOx1 (Oxford−AstraZeneca) COVID-19 vaccine in hemodialysis (HD) patients remains unclear. Methods: This prospective study enrolled 174 HD patients and 67 healthy subjects to evaluate antibodies against the spike protein 1 and receptor-binding domain of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus type 2 after prime-booster vaccination, by using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and applied spline-based generalized additive model regression analysis to predict 50% neutralization titer (NT50). The correlation between HD parameters and NT50 was analyzed. Results: NT50 was lower in HD patients compared with healthy controls after the prime-boost dose (p < 0.001). The geometric mean titer ratios were higher in first-dose seronegative than in the seropositive subgroup in HD patients and healthy controls (6.96 vs. 2.36, p = 0.002, and 9.28 vs. 1.26, p = 0.011, respectively). After two doses of ChAdOx1, one-way ANOVA showed that Ca × P was positively associated with NT50 (p trend = 0.043) and multiple linear regression showed the similar results (p = 0.021). Kt/V (a quantification of dialysis adequacy) (OR = 20.295, p = 0.005) could independently predict seroconversion (NT50 ≥ 35.13 IU/mL). Conclusion: Adequacy of hemodialysis could independently predict seroconversion in HD subjects vaccinated with prime-boost doses of ChAdOx1.
Keywords: COVID-19; hemodialysis adequacy; neutralization; neutralizing antibodies; vaccine.