Nephrotic Syndrome After Vaccination Against COVID-19: Three New Cases From Germany

Relapse of minimal change disease following the third mRNA COVID-19 vaccination: a case report and literature review

Mass vaccination is the most important strategy to terminate the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Reports suggest the potential risk of the development of new-onset or relapse of minimal change disease (MCD) following COVID-19 vaccination; however, details on vaccine-associated MCD remain unclear. A 43-year-old man with MCD, who had been in remission for 29 years, developed nephrotic syndrome 4 days after receiving the third dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. His kidney biopsy revealed relapsing MCD. Intravenous methylprednisolone pulse therapy followed by oral prednisolone therapy was administered, and his proteinuria resolved within 3 weeks. This report highlights the importance of careful monitoring of proteinuria after COVID-19 vaccination in patients with MCD, even if the disease is stable and no adverse events occurred during previous vaccinations. Our case report and literature review of COVID-19 vaccine-associated MCD indicated that MCD relapse tends to occur later after vaccination and slightly more often following the second and subsequent vaccine doses than new-onset MCD.

Vaccines and nephrotic syndrome: efficacy and safety

Vaccines represent the most important medical evolution in the last two centuries allowing prevention and formally eradication of a wide number of infectious diseases. Safety and effectiveness are main issues that still require an open discussion. A few clinical reports described a critical temporal relationship between vaccination and acute nephrotic syndrome, indirectly suggesting an association. For this review, the literature was reviewed to identify articles reporting associations of nephrotic syndrome with vaccines against a vast array of infectious diseases (including bacteria, virus and Sars-Cov-2). As specific aims, we evaluated effectiveness and safety in terms of occurrence of either "de novo" nephrotic syndrome in health subjects or "relapse" in those already affected by the disease. In total, 377 articles were found; 166 duplicates and 71 non-full text, animal studies or non-English language were removed. After excluding another 50 articles not containing relevant data on generic side effects or on relapses or new onset nephrotic syndrome, 90 articles met the search criteria. Overall, studies reported the effect of vaccines in 1015 patients, plus 4 nationwide epidemiologic investigations. Limited experience on vaccination of NS patients with measles, mumps, and rubella live attenuated vaccines does not allow any definitive conclusion on their safeness. VZV has been administered more frequently without side effects. Vaccines utilizing virus inactivated, recombinant, and toxoid can be utilized without risks in NS. Vaccines for influenza reduce the risk of infections during the pandemic and are associated with reduced risk of relapse of NS typically induced by the infection. Vaccines for SARS-CoV-2 (all kinds) offer a concrete approach to reduce the pandemic. "De novo" NS or recurrence are very rare and respond to common therapies.

Insights into new-onset autoimmune diseases after COVID-19 vaccination

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has resulted in more than 670 million infections and almost 7 million deaths globally. The emergence of numerous SARS-CoV-2 has heightened public concern regarding the future course of the epidemic. Currently, the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant has rapidly become globally dominant in the COVID-19 pandemic due to its high infectivity and immune evasion. Consequently, vaccination implementation is critically significant. However, growing evidence suggests that COVID-19 vaccination may cause new-onset autoimmune diseases, including autoimmune glomerulonephritis, autoimmune rheumatic diseases, and autoimmune hepatitis. Nevertheless, the causal relationship between COVID-19 vaccines and these autoimmune diseases remains to be demonstrated. In this review, we provide evidence that vaccination induces autoimmunity and summarize possible mechanisms of action, such as molecular mimicry, activation by bystanders, and adjuvants. Our objective is not to refute the importance of vaccines, but to raise awareness about the potential risks of COVID-19 vaccination. In fact, we believe that the benefits of vaccination far outweigh the possible risks and encourage people to get vaccinated.

Renal Complications Following COVID-19 Vaccination: A Narrative Literature Review

Background

Renal complications have previously been reported with various vaccinations, including those for influenza and hepatitis. On a similar note, a spectrum of nephrological complications, both de novo, and flare-ups, were reported after immunization with various coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines, causing concerns among patients as well as physicians.

Materials and Methods

A systematic search of the literature published on renal complications seen post-COVID-19 vaccination was performed up to April 2022 using electronic databases such as PubMed and Google Scholar.

Result

Immunoglobulin A (IgA) nephropathy, minimal change disease, glomerulonephritis, acute kidney injury, nephrotic syndrome, and anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-associated vasculitis were some of the renal complications reported upon administration of COVID-19 vaccines. The causality and underlying pathogenic mechanisms linking these complications and COVID-19 vaccination remain unclear. Nonetheless, a temporal relationship has been established with dysregulated T-cell response, transient systemic pro-inflammatory cytokine response, molecular mimicry, delayed hypersensitivity reaction to the vaccine, and other mechanisms such as hyperresponsive IgA, dysregulation of neutrophil extracellular traps were hypothesized as the possible mechanisms linking renal complications and COVID-19 vaccination.

Conclusion

This review emphasizes the need for rigorous surveillance and reporting of the adverse events following COVID-19 vaccination and explores the underlying mechanisms instigating these renal complications in individuals vaccinated against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

Renal Side Effects of COVID-19 Vaccination

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has imposed a challenge on global healthcare and has tremendously impacted everyone's lives. Vaccination is one of the most effective and vital strategies to halt the pandemic. However, new-onset and relapsed kidney diseases have been reported after COVID-19 vaccination. This narrative review was conducted to collect published data and generalize some hypotheses for the pathogenesis of renal side effects of COVID-19 vaccines. Methods: A systematic literature search of articles reporting renal adverse reactions, including in adults and children, in the PubMed and Web of Science databases until August 2022 was performed. Results: A total of 130 cases reporting a renal adverse reaction following COVID-19 vaccination from 90 articles were included in this review, of which 90 (69%) were new-onset kidney diseases, while 40 (31%) were relapsed kidney diseases. The most frequent renal side effects of COVID-19 vaccination were minimal change disease (52 cases), IgA nephropathy (48 cases), antineutrophil cytoplasmic autoantibody vasculitis (16 cases), and acute interstitial nephritis (12 cases). Other renal side effects occurred at a much lower frequency. Follow-up data were available for 105 patients, and 100 patients (95%) responded to the treatments. Conclusions: The number of reported cases is far less than the hundreds of millions of vaccinations, and the benefit of COVID-19 vaccination far outweighs its risks. This review will assist healthcare professionals, particularly nephrologists, who should be aware of these side effects and recognize them early and treat them efficiently.

Nephrotic Syndrome in Adult Patients With COVID-19 Infection or Post COVID-19 Vaccine: A Systematic Review

Nephrotic syndrome is a condition characterized by damage to podocytes that results in significant proteinuria, edema, hyperlipidemia, and hypercoagulability. Infections and malignancies are frequently associated with nephrotic syndrome. The COVID-19 virus has been associated with several atypical presentations of upper respiratory infections and acute kidney injury. Considering that COVID-19 causes systemic inflammatory changes, it seems plausible that it may also lead to nephrotic syndrome. This study aimed to investigate if an association between COVID-19 and the different types of nephrotic syndromes exists. Data were extracted into a spreadsheet. Statistical analysis was performed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS, IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA). We performed a systematic search of PubMed/Medline and Embase databases using both medical subject headings (MeSH) and regular keywords associated with COVID-19 and nephrotic syndrome, including different types of nephrotic syndromes. The search was performed on 17th December 2021. We included case reports and case series about adult patients who developed findings suggestive of nephrotic syndrome shortly after infection or vaccination. We excluded cases involving children, pregnant women, articles written in languages other than English, and those that were not retrievable. The relevance and quality of identified articles were assessed. We included 32 articles in the study, primarily case reports and case series. In our study, COVID-19 and the COVID-19 vaccine have been associated with the development of nephrotic syndrome, primarily a collapsing form of focal segmental glomerulosclerosis, although other forms have been observed as well. There was little consistency in patient histories, clinical presentations, clinical courses, or treatment regimens, although it appeared that most cases eventually resolved. More cases need to be reported and analyzed before more definitive conclusions can be reached. In conclusion, nephrotic syndrome is a possible complication of both COVID-19 infection and the COVD-19 vaccine and should be considered in patients exhibiting sudden onset edemas or deterioration in kidney function. While the majority of cases respond to standard treatment, clearer guidelines will need to be developed once more data is available.