Panamanian Scientists Investigate Causes of Mysterious Kidney Disease

Scientists from the University of Panama are part of an international team seeking to clarify the causes of Chronic Kidney Disease of Non-Traditional Origin (CKDnT), an illness with high morbidity and mortality rates in Central America that primarily affects young men engaged in intensive agricultural work and exposed to extreme environmental conditions.Dr. Hildaura Patiño, director of the Center for Research and Information on Medicines and Toxins (CIIMET) at the University of Panama, presented the advances of the project's first phase in the country to health professionals and national and international researchers.Patiño recalled that the first signs of an unusual pattern of kidney damage in agricultural workers in Coclé were detected in 2006, a finding that marked the beginning of these investigations.CKDnT has silently altered the social and productive dynamics in various agricultural areas.Unlike chronic kidney disease associated with hypertension or diabetes, this variant affects young, previously healthy men whose work involves long hours, intense physical exertion, and exposure to extreme heat. Its origin, however, remains a mystery.The study seeks to identify the factors that trigger this disease through periodic evaluations of kidney function —including measurements of the glomerular filtration rate—, the characterization of clinical phenotypes in populations with and without risk, and the analysis of interactions between genetics and the environment through molecular and omics studies.The Panamanian team is made up of specialists from the University of Panama, hospitals in Coclé and Herrera, medical technologists, epidemiologists, nephrologists, and operational staff who travel to participating communities.She added that the early identification of warning signs—such as frequent cramps, fainting spells, and variations in creatinine levels or the glomerular filtration rate—can be key to avoiding complications.“If we manage to understand what causes this disease, we will be able to design public policies and effective prevention strategies.”Accompanying Dr. Patiño as co-investigators are the nephrologist Karen Courville, the epidemiologist Idalina Cubilla, and the public health researcher Jessica Candanedo.Dr. Cubilla highlighted that CKDnT represents a growing threat to the region's health systems due to the high cost of renal replacement therapy.“Today it is not possible because we still do not have a definitive cause,” stated Cubilla.Moment of the official university announcement.