A recent study from UCLA Health revealed that Covid-19 vaccination significantly reduces the risk of severe kidney damage in hospitalized patients. Analyzing electronic medical records from approximately 3,500 patients admitted between March 2020 and March 2022, researchers found that only 11% of vaccinated individuals required continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT), compared to 16% of unvaccinated patients. Those who were unvaccinated faced over a two-and-a-half times higher risk of needing CRRT after discharge and had a substantially greater mortality risk.
A previous study from Yale noted that about 30% of hospitalized Covid patients experience acute kidney injury, and they are twice as likely to need dialysis than those hospitalized for other issues. However, a limitation of the UCLA study is the lack of baseline kidney health data, which may skew the perceived efficacy of the vaccine, as highlighted by Dr. Scott Roberts from Yale.
Experts suggest that Covid can harm the kidneys directly or indirectly through damage to other organs like the heart and lungs, with severity correlating with the initial infection’s intensity. Vaccination protects kidney function primarily by preventing severe Covid cases that lead to kidney injuries. While vaccines do not directly prevent kidney cell damage, they mitigate systemic illness complications.
Kids can also suffer acute kidney injuries from Covid, with a research team’s findings indicating a 35% increased risk of new chronic kidney disease among children post-infection. Given current recommendations against routine vaccinations for healthy children and pregnant women, officials express caution regarding potential increased kidney injury risks.
Despite the emergence of new Covid variants, acute kidney injury cases have diminished, attributed to higher vaccination rates and pre-existing immunity.
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