Membranous Nephropathy after COVID-19 Vaccination

Spike Protein Induces Autoimmunity Against PLA2 Receptor

By Peter A. McCullough, MD, MPH

On my last flight I was searching for a seat and a kind woman who appeared to recognize me, smiled at an open seat next to her. I sat down and learned she is married to a prominent government official with whom she was traveling. As we talked she told me her story of taking one of the mRNA COVID-19 vaccines and then developing membranous nephropathy. This is a disorder caused by auto-antibodies directed against the phospholipase A2 receptor on podocytes, which are critical cells in the kidney’s filtration apparatus. Membranous nephropathy like so many side effects is due to the Spike protein and can occur with SARS-CoV-2 infection and with vaccination. Ma and coworkers recently described five cases with the infection and 37 more after COVID-19 vaccination—all with the genetic vaccines except for one with a killed virus vaccine.

Ma Q, Li X, Xu G. New-Onset and Relapsed Membranous Nephropathy post SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 Vaccination. Viruses. 2022 Sep 28;14(10):2143. doi: 10.3390/v14102143. PMID: 36298697; PMCID: PMC9611660.

The woman developed significant edema and renal failure requiring escalating treatment including rituximab. More than a year later, she is not out of the woods and may face the need for dialysis in the future. She told me her doctor was honest with her and agreed her condition was caused by the vaccine. While the majority of cases reported by Ma et al had partial recoveries, the prognosis remains uncertain. I was delighted to see this woman sitting with her husband in the gallery of the Kennedy Caucus Room at the recent US Senate Roundtable chaired by Senator Ron Johnson on December 7, 2022. How much more will we learn over time about long-term safety of the COVID-19 vaccines taken by nearly two thirds of the world’s population? The potential enormity of disease and disability in the future is unfathomable.

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Ma Q, Li X, Xu G. New-Onset and Relapsed Membranous Nephropathy post SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 Vaccination. Viruses. 2022 Sep 28;14(10):2143. doi: 10.3390/v14102143. PMID: 36298697; PMCID: PMC9611660.