Air pollution causing kidney disease in millions

The increasing toll of chronic kidney disease (CKD) globally can significantly be attributed to the rise in air pollution, researchers have found.

The researchers, who presented their research at ASN Kidney Week 2017 that ended November 5 in New Orleans, louisiana, used the Global Burden of Disease study methodologies to estimate the burden of CKD attributable to air pollution. 

"Air pollution might at least partially explain the rise in incidence of CKD of unknown origin in many geographies around the world, and the rise in Mesoamerican nephropathy in Mexico and Central America," said Benjamin Bowe, MPH, in a statement.

Epidemiologic measures of the burden of CKD attributable to air pollution, including years living with disability, years of life lost, and disability-adjusted life years -- a measure that combines the burden of living with the disease and the early death caused by the disease -- suggest that the burden varies greatly by geography, with higher values seen in Central America and South Asia.

Previously, Bowe and his colleagues described an association between increased levels of fine particulate matter and risk of developing CKD. 

The estimated global burden of incident CKD attributable to fine particulate matter was more than 10.7 million cases per year.