Additional Coverage:
New Study Shows COVID-19 Vaccines Protect Against Severe Kidney Damage
A recent UCLA Health study offers further evidence of the protective benefits of COVID-19 vaccination. Researchers found that vaccinated individuals hospitalized with COVID-19 were significantly less likely to develop severe kidney damage than their unvaccinated counterparts.
The study, which analyzed medical records of roughly 3,500 hospitalized COVID-19 patients at a major academic hospital between March 2020 and March 2022, focused on the need for continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT). CRRT is a continuous dialysis treatment necessary when a patient’s kidneys fail to filter waste from the blood, often required for those in intensive care.
Results showed 16% of unvaccinated COVID-19 patients required CRRT during hospitalization, compared to just 11% of vaccinated patients. Furthermore, unvaccinated individuals faced a more than two-and-a-half times greater risk of needing CRRT after hospital discharge and also experienced a higher mortality rate post-discharge.
While the study’s findings are promising, researchers acknowledge a limitation: incomplete data on patients’ pre-existing kidney health. This gap makes it difficult to definitively quantify the vaccines’ protective effect, which may be either slightly overstated or understated.
How COVID-19 Affects Kidneys:
Experts explain that the virus can directly harm the kidneys or indirectly through damage to other organs like the heart and lungs. Severe COVID-19 infections pose the greatest risk of kidney complications, while mild or asymptomatic cases rarely cause significant kidney issues. Older individuals and those with compromised immune systems are particularly vulnerable to post-COVID-19 kidney problems, a risk largely tied to the severity of the initial infection.
Vaccination’s Role in Kidney Protection:
Vaccines primarily protect kidneys by preventing severe COVID-19, the main driver of kidney injury. Although vaccines don’t directly target kidney cells, they mitigate the overall severity of the illness and thus reduce the likelihood of multi-organ failure.
A Note of Caution:
While generally protective, both COVID-19 infection and vaccination may pose risks for individuals with glomerulonephritis, a specific type of kidney disease. Reports suggest that some individuals with this condition have experienced relapses or new-onset glomerulonephritis after infection or vaccination.
Children and Kidney Risks:
Though the study focused on adults, experts emphasize that children with COVID-19 can also develop acute kidney injury, sometimes leading to lasting damage. One study indicated a 35% increased risk of new-onset chronic kidney disease in children six months after a COVID-19 infection. The potential impact of changing vaccination recommendations for children on this risk remains to be seen.
Looking Ahead:
Despite the emergence of new COVID-19 variants, the number of acute kidney injury cases has decreased compared to earlier stages of the pandemic. This positive trend is attributed to increased vaccination rates and greater immunity through prior infection, leading to less severe disease overall.