ArticleBMC public health2013
Chronic kidney disease in Nicaragua: a qualitative analysis of semi-structured interviews with physicians and pharmacists.
Article in BMC public health, 2013. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 30 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
30 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 81 citations in OpenAlex.
- Escalating chronic kidney diseases of multi-factorial origin in Sri Lanka: causes, solutions, and recommendations.Environmental health and preventive medicine · 2014Pooled it
- Experiences of heat stress and adapting practices among farmworkers in northwest Nicaragua: a qualitative study.BMJ open · 2026Article
- Longitudinal associations and interactions of heat and metal(loid) exposure with kidney outcomes in Mexican agricultural workers.Environmental research · 2025Article
- Health Interventions for the Prevention of Dehydration in Agricultural Workers Exposed to Heat Stress: A Systematic Review.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- Nephrotoxic drug burden and predictors of exposure among patients with renal impairment in Ethiopia: A multi-center study.Heliyon · 2024Article
- Kidney disease characteristics, prevalence, and risk factors in León, Nicaragua: a population-based study.BMC nephrology · 2023Article
- Exploring pharmacists' perspectives on preparing discharge medicine lists: A qualitative study.Exploratory research in clinical and social pharmacy · 2023Article
- Climate change and nephrology.Nephrology, dialysis, transplantation : official publication of the European Dialysis and Transplant Association - European Renal Association · 2023Article
- Point-of-care biomarkers for prediction of kidney function trajectory among sugarcane cutters: a comparative test accuracy study.BMJ open · 2022Article
- High prevalence of chronic kidney disease of unknown etiology among workers in the Mesoamerican Nephropathy Occupational Study.BMC nephrology · 2022Article
- Where do you live and what do you do? Two questions that might impact your kidney health.Frontiers in nephrology · 2022Review
- Chronic kidney disease in Ecuador: An epidemiological and health system analysis of an emerging public health crisis.PloS one · 2022Article
- Dysuria, heat stress, and muscle injury among Nicaraguan sugarcane workers at risk for Mesoamerican nephropathy.Scandinavian journal of work, environment & health · 2021Article
- Climate Trends at a Hotspot of Chronic Kidney Disease of Unknown Causes in Nicaragua, 1973-2014.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Article
- Biomarkers of kidney injury among children in a high-risk region for chronic kidney disease of uncertain etiology.Pediatric nephrology (Berlin, Germany) · 2021Article
- Kidney Function, Self-Reported Symptoms, and Urine Findings in Nicaraguan Sugarcane Workers.Kidney360 · 2020Article
- Pathophysiological Mechanisms by which Heat Stress Potentially Induces Kidney Inflammation and Chronic Kidney Disease in Sugarcane Workers.Nutrients · 2020Article
- Trust, Conflict, and Engagement in Occupational Health: North American Epidemiologists Conduct Occupational Study in Communities Affected by Chronic Kidney Disease of Unknown Origin (CKDu).Current environmental health reports · 2019Review
- Article
- Chronic kidney disease in sugarcane workers in Cameroon: a cross-sectional study.BMC nephrology · 2018Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundNorthwestern Nicaragua has a high prevalence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) of unknown cause among young adult men. In addition, frequent occurrence of urinary tract infections (UTI) among men and a dysuria syndrome described by sugarcane workers as "chistata" are both reported. This study examines health professionals´ perceptions regarding etiology of these conditions and their treatment approaches, including use of potentially nephrotoxic medications.
methodsNineteen in-person semi-structured interviews were conducted in November 2010 among ten physicians and nine pharmacists practicing in the region.
resultsHealth professionals perceived CKD as a serious and increasing problem in the region, primarily affecting young men working as manual laborers. All interviewees regarded occupational and environmental exposure to sun and heat, and dehydration as critical factors associated with the occurrence of CKD. These factors were also considered to play a role in the occurrence of chistata in the region. Health professionals indicated that reluctance among workers to hydrate might be influenced by perceptions of water contamination. Symptoms often were treated with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), diuretics and antibiotics. Physicians acknowledged that the diagnosis of UTI usually was not based on microbial culture and opined that the use of potentially nephrotoxic medications may be contributing to CKD.
conclusionsInterviews provided evidence suggesting that medications such as diuretics, antibiotics and NSAIDs are widely used and sold over the counter for symptoms that may be related to dehydration and volume depletion. These factors, alone or in combination, may be possible contributors to kidney damage. Acute kidney damage coupled with volume depletion and exposures including medications and infectious agents should be further evaluated as causal factors for CKD in this region.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.