Chronic kidney disease from non-traditional causes: report from the fourth international workshop

Marvin González-Quiroz, Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, UT School of Public Health San Antonio, The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas, USA; Centre for Kidney and Bladder Health, University College London, London, UK;
Anna Strasma, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA
Gerardo Arroyo, Departamento de Citohistología, Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala, Guatemala, Guatemala
Daniel Brooks, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
Ben Caplin, Centre for Kidney and Bladder Health, University College London, London, UK
Karen Courville, Unidad de Hemodiálisis, Departamento de Nefrología, Hospital Dr. Gustavo N. Collado, Herrera, Panamá; Sistema Nacional de Investigación, SNI, SENACYT, Ciudad de Panamá, Panamá
Jennifer Crowe, Instituto Regional de Estudios en Sustancias Toxicas, Universidad Nacional de Costa Rica, Heredia, Costa Rica
Carl-Gustaf Elinder, Department of Renal Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
Nathan Raines, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
Vidhya Venugopal, Department of Environmental Health Engineering, Sri Ramachandra Institute of Higher Education and Research, Porur, Chennai, India
Vicente Sánchez-Polo, Posgrado en Nefrología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de San Carlos, Sociedad Latinoamericana de Nefrología e Hipertensión (SLANH) Guatemala, Guatemala

Objective: Chronic kidney disease of nontraditional cause (CKDnt) is a significant concern in Mesoamerica and South Asia. Despite research progress, its causes remain unclear and disease burden high. The international workshop was convened to evaluate current evidence and guide public health strategies. Materials and methods: The Fourth International Workshop on CKDnt was held in 2024 and organized by the Consortium for the Epidemic of Nephropathy in Central America and Mexico (CENCAM), in collaboration with the Executive Secretariat of the Council of Ministers of Health of Central America and the Dominican Republic (SE-COMISCA), the Latin American Society of Nephrology and Hypertension (SLANH), the Central American Program for Health, Work and Environment (SALTRA), and the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID). The objective was to provide evidence-based support for the program “Strategy for the Prevention, Mitigation, and Control of CKDnt in Central America and the Dominican Republic”. Results: Participants numbered 165, most from Mesoamerica. Workshop discussions were centered around: (1) the causes of CKDnt, (2) methodological research approaches, and (3) strategies for application of findings. Conclusions: Addressing CKDnt requires coordinated, evidence-based actions at both regional and international levels.

Keywords: CKD. CKDnt. CKDu. Mesoamerican Nephropathy.