Objectives: This study was devised to investigate papal deaths due to acute kidney injury, a topic for which scarce data exist.
Materials and methods: We studied all popes between John XXI, who died in 1277 of crush syndrome, and John Paul II, who died of anuria and urinary sepsis in 2005.
Results: Between pontification years from 1277 to 2005, 21 of 78 popes (26.9%) died of acute kidney injury. Sepsis was identified as the leading cause of acute kidney injury and death in 20 of 21 popes (95.2%). Mean ± SE age at death of the 21 popes was 69.4 ± 2.26 years. Six popes (28.6%) died of stroke.
Conclusions: Sepsis-associated acute kidney injury, a syndrome with a complex pathogenesis and poor prognosis, which is far from being fully understood, contributed to a high number of papal deaths.