Vaccination Reduces Risk of COVID-19 Associated CKD

Patients with COVID-19 face an increased risk of chronic health conditions, identified as postacute sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC). The more transmissible variants increase the likelihood that the global population will eventually be exposed to the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2, either through natural infection or vaccination. There are few available data on the effect vaccination may have on renal manifestations of PASC.

Hamza Mir, MS, MSW, and colleagues at the University of New Mexico Health Science Center, Albuquerque, conducted an analysis of data to examine the effects of vaccination on chronic kidney disease manifestations of PASC. Results were reported during a poster session at the American Society of Nephrology Kidney Week 2022 in a poster titled Vaccination Reduces Risk of CKD Associated With COVID-19 Disease.

The researchers searched TrinetX, a large health research network that aggregates data from multiple centers in the United States. Patients were classified as C19+ve (with a positive molecular test for SARS-CoV-2 or a clinical diagnosis of COVID-19) and Vax7+ve for those with at least one dose of any COVID-19 vaccine and no breakthrough COVID-19 infection.

The analysis included demographics, comorbidities, and diagnoses for up to 2 years following any COIVD-19 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test (index event). The two cohorts were balanced on age, sex, Hispanic ethnicity, Black race, hypertension, diabetes, heart failure, and atherosclerosis with a 1:1 propensity score matching using the nearest neighbor method. Patients with a kidney specific diagnosis prior to their COVID-19 PCR test were excluded.

The search identified 2,780,576 C19+ve patients and 735,966 Vax7+ve patients. Following propensity score matching, each group included 736,034 patients.

Mean age was 51.5 years, 58.8% were female, 14.9% were Black, and 9.9% were Hispanic or Latino. There was an association between COVID-19 vaccination and a reduced risk of incident CKD, unspecified kidney failure, and nephritic syndrome. There was no reduction in risk for nephrotic syndrome or glomerulonephritis.

“Vaccination may reduce the risk of CKD associated with PASC. If confirmed in a prospective study, our findings can expand the known benefits of vaccination on the acute disease to PASC manifestations, potentially improving the uptake of the COVID-19 vaccines by the population,” the authors said.

Source: Mir H, Roumelioti M-E, Argyropoulos C. Vaccination reduces risk of CKD associated with COVID-19 disease. TH-PO903. Abstract of a poster presented at the American Society of Nephrology Kidney Week 2022; November 3, 2022; Orlando, Florida.