Danger Dust

August 9, 2023 4:18 PM EDT

The more typical form of kidney disease is either genetic or a consequence of diabetes, metabolic syndrome, or hypertension, and it largely affects an older population.

CKDnt is closely tied to heat stress, and is more prevalent among outdoor laborers or miners who work in high heat conditions. While the causes are still debated, it appears to be triggered by an incidence of acute kidney injury—think extreme heat stress or heat stroke—and is exacerbated by continued exposure and dehydration. Studies in mice show that daily heat exposure and dehydration “can cause chronic tubulointerstitial disease with fibrosis and inflammation [scarring in the kidney’s small tubes], similar to what is observed in renal biopsies of subjects with Mesoamerican nephropathy,”