Late Renal Effects of COVID-19 in Kidney Transplant Recipients: A Single-Center Study

Authors

  • Bruno Teixeira Gomes Universidade Estadual de Campinas – Faculdade de Ciências Médicas – Departamento de Clínica Médica – Campinas (SP) – Brazil. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1547-8125
  • Marcos Vinicius de Sousa Universidade Estadual de Campinas – Faculdade de Ciências Médicas – Departamento de Clínica Médica – Campinas (SP) – Brazil. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0280-1069
  • Fernanda Garcia Bressanin Universidade Estadual de Campinas – Faculdade de Ciências Médicas – Departamento de Clínica Médica – Campinas (SP) – Brazil. https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6761-9164
  • Matheus Rizzato Rossi Universidade Estadual de Campinas – Faculdade de Ciências Médicas – Departamento de Clínica Médica – Campinas (SP) – Brazil. https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4597-4266
  • Marilda Mazzali Universidade Estadual de Campinas – Faculdade de Ciências Médicas – Departamento de Clínica Médica – Campinas (SP) – Brazil. https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6297-4909

Keywords:

Kidney transplantation, COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, Post-Acute COVID-19 Syndrome, Proteinuria

Abstract

Introduction:  During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, kidney transplant recipients had higher rates of hospitalization and mortality. However, data on the late renal effects of the infection are scarce. Objectives:  This study aims to describe the evolution of renal function and proteinuria in kidney transplant recipients after the infection. Methods:  Single-center prospective cohort study. A total of 321 kidney transplant recipients who survived COVID-19 from March 2020 to December 2022 were included. Data on renal function, proteinuria, and immunosuppression were analyzed pre-infection, 3 and 6 months post-infection. Results:  Most patients were male (58.9%), with a mean age of 50 years, recipients of kidneys from deceased donors (79.4%), and with a median time after transplant of 6.6 years. There was a reduction in the level of immunosuppression, from a pre-infection Vasudev score of 4.66 to 4.50 (p< 0.001) in the 3rd month and 4.54 (p = 0.016) 6 months post-infection. The glomerular filtration rate (GFR) remained stable at around 60 mL/min/1.73 m2. The percentage of patients with proteinuria ≥ 1.0 increased from 9.6% pre-infection to more than 13% (p < 0.001) in the 3rd and 6th months after infection. Higher proteinuria levels were observed in recipients with longer follow-up post-transplant, previous rejection episodes, lower estimated GFR, and higher prevalence of donor-specific anti-HLA antibodies. Conclusions:  Kidney transplant recipients with COVID-19 had an increase in proteinuria within 6 months after the infection despite a stable GFR.

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Published

2025-02-14

How to Cite

1.
Gomes BT, Sousa MV de, Bressanin FG, Rossi MR, Mazzali M. Late Renal Effects of COVID-19 in Kidney Transplant Recipients: A Single-Center Study. bjt [Internet]. 2025 Feb. 14 [cited 2025 Apr. 19];28. Available from: https://bjt.emnuvens.com.br/revista/article/view/654

Issue

Vol. 28 (2025)

Section

Original Paper

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Copyright (c) 2025 Bruno Teixeira Gomes, Marcos Vinicius de Sousa, Fernanda Garcia Bressanin, Matheus Rizzato Rossi, Marilda Mazzali

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.