Minimal change disease (MCD) following vaccination with ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine in a young Indian male: A case report

Various vaccines against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) have been developed amidst the ongoing pandemic. Few cases of glomerulonephritis after COVID-19 vaccination have been reported globally. We present a case of nephrotic syndrome due to minimal change disease (MCD) most likely associated with the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine. A 24-year-old male presented with anasarca and frothy urine after receiving the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. On admission, the patient had normal serum creatinine with 24-h urinary protein excretion of 4.1 g/day and severe hypoalbuminemia. Kidney biopsy revealed nonproliferative glomerular morphology with relatively unremarkable-appearing glomeruli on light microscopy and diffuse effacement of the odocyte foot processes on electron microscopy, consistent with diagnosis of MCD. This case highlights the risk of new-onset nephrotic syndrome due to MCD after COVID-19 vaccination.