LOS ANGELES – New research suggests that vaccinated patients hospitalized with Covid-19 who developed acute kidney injury experienced more favorable outcomes compared to their unvaccinated counterparts.

The study,conducted by researchers at the University of California-Los Angeles (UCLA),revealed that vaccinated patients were less likely to require dialysis after being discharged from the hospital and demonstrated a higher survival rate than unvaccinated patients.

Acute kidney injury, or AKI, is a frequent complication among individuals infected with Covid, with incidence rates as high as 46 per cent. AKI can range from a minor reduction in kidney function to severe kidney failure requiring dialysis.the long-term effects on kidney health and survival rates in these patients have been previously unclear.

The findings, which were published in the peer-reviewed journal Kidney Medicine, indicate that Covid vaccination may play a role in reducing the risk of long-term kidney function decline and mortality.

“The covid vaccine is an important intervention that can decrease the chances of developing complications from the Covid-19 infection in patients hospitalised with acute kidney injuries,” said lead author Dr. Niloofar Nobakht, Associate Professor of Medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.

“It is important for individuals to discuss the benefits of getting vaccinated for Covid-19 with their doctors as it can decrease the chances of needing dialysis, which can severely affect the quality of life of patients and lead to further complications including death,” Nobakht added.

The research team analyzed data from approximately 3,500 patients hospitalized with Covid between march 1, 2020, and March 30, 2022.

Of these patients, 972 developed acute kidney injury, with 411 (42.3 per cent) being unvaccinated and 467 (48 per cent) having received at least two doses of the Pfizer or Moderna mRNA vaccines or one dose of Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine.

Key Findings on Dialysis and Survival

The study revealed that 65 (15.8 per cent) of unvaccinated patients were more likely to require continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT), a type of dialysis used for critically ill patients, compared to 51 (10.9 per cent) of vaccinated patients.

“The Covid vaccine is an critically important intervention that can decrease the chances of developing complications from the Covid-19 infection…”

Furthermore, unvaccinated patients had 2.56 times higher odds of needing CRRT after hospital discharge, 5.54 times the risk of dying in the hospital, and a 4.78 times higher risk of dying during long-term follow-up compared to vaccinated patients.