A systematic review assessing the effectiveness of COVID-19 mRNA vaccines in chronic kidney disease (CKD) individuals

Background: SARS-CoV-2 is a coronavirus that has rapidly spread across the world with a detrimental effect on the global population. Several reports have highlighted an increased mortality rate and a higher severity of COVID-19 infection in chronic kidney disease (CKD) individuals. Upon the development of various SARS-CoV-2 vaccines, mRNA vaccines including BNT162b2 and mRNA-1273 were deemed safe, with a high efficacy in preventing COVID-19 in the general population. This review investigates whether SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccines are as effective in triggering an immune response in Dialysis Patients (DPs) and Kidney Transplant Recipients (KTRs) and if a third dose is required in this population. Methods: A systematic search employing the PRISMA criteria was conducted in several major databases, with the data being extracted from publications for the period January 2021 to May 2022 (PROSPERO: CRD42022338514, June 15, 2022). Results: 80 studies were included in this analysis with a total cohort number of 15,059 participants. Overall, 85.29% (OR = 17.08, 95% CI = 15.84-18.42, I (2) = 98%) and 41.06% (OR = 0.52, 95% CI = 0.48-0.5, I (2) = 95%) of DPs and KTRs included in this review showed positive seroconversion after two doses of either mRNA vaccine, respectively. A total 76% (OR = 6.53, 95% CI = 5.63-7.5, I (2) = 96%) of the cohort given a third dose of an mRNA vaccine demonstrated positive seroconversion, with 61.86% (OR = 2.31, 95% CI = 1.95-2.75 I (2) = 95%) of the cohort that was assessed for a cellular response displaying a positive response. Conclusions: This data emphasises a reduced incidence of a positive immune response in DPs and KTRs compared to healthy controls, albeit a better response in DPs than when compared to KTRs alone was observed. A third dose appears to increase the occurrence of an immune response in the overall DP/KTR cohort.