Does COVID-19 vaccination trigger gross hematuria in patients with IgA nephropathy?

This article explores the potential link between COVID-19 vaccination and gross hematuria (blood in urine) in patients with immunoglobulin A nephropathy (IgAN). The study included 459 adult IgAN patients who received COVID-19 mRNA vaccinations, with 37% of them having a history of gross hematuria before vaccination. The results showed that there was no significant difference in the prevalence of gross hematuria after vaccination between patients with and without a history of gross hematuria. The study suggests that the factors governing the sensitivity to gross hematuria after vaccination and the natural history of IgAN may not be identical. However, the study has limitations, such as relying on patient reports and being conducted mostly on Japanese patients, so further research is needed to understand the immunological pathways involved in the development of gross hematuria due to infection or vaccination in IgAN patients. [Extracted from the article]