Study Indicates Covid Vaccination May Shield Against Severe Kidney Damage

Complications from COVID-19 can adversely affect vital organs such as the heart, brain, lungs, and kidneys. A new study indicates that patients hospitalized for COVID-19 tend to experience significantly less severe kidney damage if they have been vaccinated. Researchers at UCLA Health evaluated the electronic medical records of approximately 3,500 hospitalized patients between March 2020 and March 2022.

They compared those who received at least two doses of the Moderna or Pfizer vaccines or one dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine with those who were unvaccinated. The study specifically assessed the need for continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT), a type of dialysis used in intensive care to filter waste from the blood. According to the findings, 16% of unvaccinated patients needed CRRT compared to just 11% of vaccinated patients.

Furthermore, unvaccinated individuals were more than two and a half times as likely to require CRRT after hospital discharge and faced a higher risk of mortality. While a 2021 study suggested that around 30% of hospitalized patients with COVID-19 developed acute kidney injury, the new study has some limitations. Notably, researchers lacked complete data on the kidney health of participants prior to infection, which may skew the perception of vaccine benefits, as explained by Dr. Scott Roberts from Yale School of Medicine.

COVID-19 can damage the kidneys either directly or by affecting other organs. More severe symptoms correlate with a higher risk of kidney injury; conversely, mild infections typically do not lead to significant harm. Vaccination seems to protect the kidneys mainly by preventing severe disease associated with kidney injury.

The study’s implications extend to children, as prior data suggests that youngsters with COVID-19 may also face a heightened risk of kidney complications. Despite recent changes to vaccination recommendations for children, the long-term impact on kidney health remains uncertain. Overall, as vaccination rates have increased, occurrences of acute kidney injuries linked to COVID-19 have become less frequent.