Impact of COVID-19 vaccination on long-Term patient and kidney allograft survival following SARS-CoV-2 infection

The long-term impact of SARS-CoV-2 infection on kidney allograft survival remains incompletely understood, particularly regarding the influence of vaccination, acute kidney injury (AKI), and post-infection immunosuppression. We conducted a retrospective analysis of 129 kidney transplant recipients with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection between March 2020 and March 2022 with a median follow-up of 50 months. Among 129 recipients, 106 (82%) received vaccination at any time before or after SARS-CoV-2 infection (82%) while 23 (18%) remained unvaccinated. Unvaccinated patients experienced significantly lower long-term graft survival (52% vs. 85%; p = 0.0004) and patient survival (83% vs. 99%; p = 0.0003) compared with vaccinated recipients. AKI occurred in 15% of recipients and independently predicted graft failure (aHR 2.88; p = 0.0341). Post-SARS-CoV-2 serum creatinine and albuminuria were strong prognostic markers of graft loss. Unvaccinated status independently predicted graft failure in both transplantation-anchored (aHR 2.80; p = 0.0342) and SARS-CoV-2-anchored models (aHR 5.31; p = 0.0004). Continuation of mycophenolate mofetil at post-infection assessment was associated with reduced graft-failure risk (aHR 0.99; p = 0.0193). These findings underscore the importance of sustained vaccination in preserving long-term allograft function.