Table 1 Original evidence of kidney disease in agricultural communities
Nation Region | Study design, participants, age | Main findings | References |
|---|---|---|---|
El Salvador Bajo Lempa | 775 individuals: 88.3% of total resident population in the region Mean age: 39 years | Prevalence of CKD was 17.9% (men, 25.7%; women, 11.8%), higher than that reported internationally | [34] |
El Salvador Five communities | 1184 general population without previous kidney problems 37 ± 11 years | Among men in coastal communities, 18% had eGFR < 60 mL/min/1.73 m2 compared with 4% and 1% in communities 500 m above sea level. For agricultural workers, prevalence of reduced eGFR was highest for coastal sugarcane workers | [10] |
Nicaragua Chinandega and León | 194 male workers 17–39 years | Reduced eGFR occurred in 16%, 9% and 2% of sugarcane cutters, construct workers and small-scale farmers, respectively. Mean age did not differ significantly between occupations | [35] |
Nicaragua León | 2275 general population-based cohort Age 18–70 years | CKD prevalence was 9.1% overall; 13.8% for men and 5.8% for women. Low education level and more years of agricultural work were significantly associated with CKD | [24] |
Sri Lanka Three rural areas (North Central, Central, Southern) | 6153 people from random cluster sampling method, age 20–96 years | Proteinuric CKD of uncertain etiology was prevalent in the North Central area. Age, sex, occupation as a farmer, and exposure to agrochemicals were potential risk factors for CKD | [36] |
India Andhra Pradesh | 1184 adults through random sampling 45 ± 14 years | Prevalence of CKD 32.2%. Farmers (44.2% of subjects) showed a 20% greater prevalence of CKD compared to non-farmers in the fully adjusted model | [17] |
Egypt Upper Egypt El-Minia | 800 patients on renal replacement therapy Mean age, 46 years | Main occupation was farming. Unknown etiology, at 27%, was a leading cause of end-stage kidney disease | [19] |
Indonesia West Java | 354 healthy young Javanese rice farmers ≥ 50 years, n = 197 < 50 years, n = 157 | Overall prevalences were 24.9% for CKD and 18.6% for CKDu. Odds ratio for high altitude was 2.0 (95%CI, 1.2–3.5) and longer use of insecticide and its frequency also seemed to represent risks | [37] |
Mexico Tierra Blanca | 579 healthy people with any occupations 42 years (IQR, 31–50 years) | Age- and sex-adjusted prevalence of low eGFR was 3.5% in the total cohort. Agriculture was the occupation with the highest adjusted prevalence of low eGFR (8.8%), associated with a > fivefold risk of low eGFR | [18] |