Despite their relative rarity, kidney disorders occurring after COVID-19 vaccination haven’t received the attention they warrant.
A healthy 20-year-old man took his first dose of the Pfizer vaccine, and six days later, he was admitted to the hospital.
His kidney function had deteriorated, and he was subsequently diagnosed with drug-related acute interstitial nephritis, a type of kidney disorder.
“A close linkage between COVID-19 vaccination and acute interstitial nephritis should be considered,” wrote the authors of a January case report.
Despite their relative rarity, kidney disorders occurring after COVID-19 vaccination haven’t received the attention they warrant.
28 Kidney Injuries
Twenty-eight different kidney injuries have been reported following COVID-19 vaccination, according to a 2023 review published in the Indian Journal of Community Medicine.
The paper reviews all the kidney-related complications reported in the literature following COVID-19 vaccinations, consulting nephrologist Dr. Richard Amerling, who was not involved in the review, told The Epoch Times.
Kidney complications can be a flare-up of a previous condition or occur suddenly in patients with no previous kidney disease.
The authors found that some of these patients also had recurring injuries after a subsequent dose of the vaccine, thereby raising concern “about whether it is safe to receive the subsequent dose of vaccine.”
“Physicians, especially nephrologists must be aware of the renal complications and counsel the patients to look out for the renal symptoms … post‑vaccination,” the authors concluded, highlighting that the vaccine is still recommended, as the benefits outweigh the risks.
The authors considered four mechanisms that could lead to kidney injury: a dysregulated T-cell response, a transient but systemic inflammatory response, a late allergic reaction, and an autoimmune reaction.
The paper also discussed some of the other kidney conditions that have occurred, including antibody-related, autoimmune-related, direct damage, and diseases associated with scarring and inflammation of kidney tissue.
A Vulnerable Organ
Dr. Amerling said that the kidney is a fairly vulnerable organ because it filters all the blood in the body. Therefore, any toxin in the blood, such as spike protein, can potentially embed itself in the organ and cause direct or immune damage.
“There are theories” about how vaccine injuries may occur, he said.
By Marina Zhang
