Do mRNA vaccines accelerate the progression of chronic kidney disease? For six years experience

Introduction: During the COVID-19 pandemic, mRNA vaccines which developed using a novel technology distinct from conventional vaccines, were widely administered. They are known to induce more pronounced immune reactions compared to classical vaccines. We investigated whether mRNA and inactivated vaccines accelerate the progression of chronic kidney disease. Methods: A total of 140 patients with CKD followed at Bursa City Hospital were retrospectively analyzed. Serum creatinine and glomerular filtration rate (GFR) values were recorded over three periods: pre-vaccination (−24 months), vaccination period, and post-vaccination (+24 months). GFR was calculated using the CKD-EPI formula. Due to the dependent nature of pre- and post-vaccination comparisons, the paired t -test was used for parametric data and the Wilcoxon signed-rank test for non-parametric data. Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05. Results: In the overall patient group and in the subgroup receiving only inactivated vaccines, a statistically significant difference in serum creatinine levels was observed between the pre- and post-vaccination periods; however, no statistically significant change was detected in GFR. In the subgroup of patients who received only the BioNTech (mRNA) vaccine, no statistically significant changes were observed in either serum creatinine or GFR. Conclusion: In our study, we concluded that mRNA and inactivated vaccines did not accelerate the progression of chronic kidney disease.