Climate Change Linked to Increase in Kidney Ailments

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Climate change may be accelerating the rate of chronic kidney disease
The increasing number of extreme heat waves may be causing kidney damage
Climate change and water shortages are likely to affect a health issues

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A new study warns that climate change may be accelerating the rate of chronic kidney disease caused by dehydration and heat stress. The research paper, published in Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (CJASN), suggests that a condition called heat stress nephropathy may represent a disease of neglected populations but one that may emerge as a major cause of poor kidney health in the near future.

The statement issued by the George Institute for Global Health further says that climate change and resultant water shortages are likely to affect a wide variety of health issues related to dehydration and heat stress and increase the risk for cognitive dysfunction, malnutrition, water-borne infectious diseases, chronic kidney disease and other conditions.

'The increasing number of extreme heat waves brought about by global warming may disproportionately be causing kidney damage among at-risk populations,' said Vivekanand Jha, Executive Director of George Institute for Global Health, India, who is also the co-author of the paper.

The researchers found that chronic kidney disease that is not associated with traditional risk factors appears to be "increasing" in rural hot communities as worldwide temperature progressively rises. 'They believe the risk for heat stress nephropathy has increased due to global warming and an increase in extreme heat waves and it is having a disproportionate impact on vulnerable populations, such as agricultural workers,' the statement said.

Jha had earlier submitted a research proposal to Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) to "systematically evaluate this epidemic in at least four regions of India along with local nephrologists."