Pictures Show the Mysterious Disease That's Killing Field Workers
Photographer Ed Kashi documents how chronic kidney disease is affecting rural India.
In rural Central America and India, researchers are witnessing the spread of chronic kidney disease (CKD)—the gradual loss of kidney function.
In developed countries, the disease is commonly caused by diabetes and high blood pressure. However, other factors seem to be driving the kidney disease that researchers are seeing in farmers in Nicaragua and rural India. Because of this, researchers refer to the condition in these areas as chronic kidney disease of non-traditional causes, or CKDnT. Although there is still uncertainty about what causes CKDnT, heat stress and recurrent dehydration are likely factors.
Functioning kidneys keep the body healthy by filtering waste out of the blood. Kidney disease can be fatal in advanced stages, and people with advanced CKDnT must
