Biomarkers of Kidney Function and Injury Among Sugarcane Workers in Nicaragua: 2010-2016

In Central America, an epidemic of chronic kidney disease (CKD) of unknown etiology has been described among young, male agricultural workers. Though many occupational and nonoccupational causes have been hypothesized (i.e. heat stress, heavy metals), the etiologic agent remains unknown. The objectives of this project were to: (1) evaluate repeated measures of biomarkers of kidney injury and CKD among sugarcane workers by investigating differences by job task; (2) determine whether there was evidence of kidney injury and CKD among miners, construction workers, and stevedores who had never worked in the sugarcane industry; and (3) characterize biomarkers of exposure to nephrotoxic heavy metals (i.e. cadmium, lead, uranium, arsenic) and examine the association with biomarkers of kidney damage. The data analyzed had been collected in past projects conducted by the research group. The results are in various phases of publication in peer reviewed journals (see Publications).

Funding: Rebecca Law’s work on this project was funded by the Environmental Protection Agency “Science to Achieve Results” (STAR) Fellowship program.

Publications:
Kupferman J, Ramírez-Rubio O, Amador JJ, López-Pilarte D, Wilker EH, Laws RL, Sennett C, Robles NV, Lau JL, Salinas AJ, Kaufman JS, Weiner DE, Scammell MK, McClean MD, Brooks DR, & Friedman DJ (2018). Acute Kidney Injury in Sugarcane Workers at Risk for Mesoamerican Nephropathy. American Journal of Kidney Diseases, 72(4), 475–482.

Kupferman J, Amador JJ, Lynch KE, Laws RL, López-Pilarte D, Ramírez-Rubio O, Kaufman JL, Lau JL, Weiner DE, Robles NV, Verma KP, Scammell MK, McClean MD, Brooks DR, & Friedman DJ (2016). Characterization of Mesoamerican Nephropathy in a Kidney Failure Hotspot in Nicaragua. American Journal of Kidney Diseases, 68(5), 716–725.

Laws RL, Brooks DR, Amador JJ, Weiner DE, Kaufman JS, Ramírez-Rubio O, Riefkohl A, Scammell MK, López-Pilarte D, Sánchez JM, Parikh CR, & MD (2016). Biomarkers of Kidney Injury Among Nicaraguan Sugarcane Workers. American Journal of Kidney Diseases, 67(2), 209–217.

Laws RL, Brooks DR, Amador JJ, Weiner DE, Kaufman JS, Ramírez-Rubio O, Riefkohl A, Scammell MK, López-Pilarte D, Sánchez JM, Parikh CR, & McClean MD (2015). Changes in kidney function among Nicaraguan sugarcane workers. International Journal of Occupational and Environmental Health, 21(3), 241–250.