Sugar cane cutters in Nicaragua, rice farmers in Thailand, agricultural workers in India: all over the world, young men without medical history contract a mysterious kidney disease. Experts attribute the heat epidemic to which these men are exposed during their work. WHO reacted.
In December 2024 in Bangalore, in southern India, at an international conference on public health, Doctor Anupama Janardhana reported an increase in cases of early chronic kidney disease in the state of Andra Pradesh, on the east coast of the country. The people concerned are all young agricultural workers and farmers who cultivate the land in difficult climatic conditions.
At first, men do not realize that they suffer from a serious problem, that their kidneys are failing. They simply feel weak, have no appetite and lose weight. When examined by a specialist, the disease is generally already well advanced.
Dialysis then becomes the only option and a vicious financial circle sets up for farmers: “There are transport costs to go to hospital and go home. In addition, they cannot work on dialysis days and lose part of their income,” explains Anupama Janardhana. This is why many stop dialysis. And die.
“A tragic and obvious consequence of climate change”
7000 kilometers from southern India, in Zurich, Valérie Luyckx is investigating the mysterious disease of these young men. For this nephrologist of South African and internationally recognized origin, the causes of this epidemic are obvious: “It is a tragic and obvious consequence of climate change, in particular in poor regions where populations do not have access to adequate care and treatments.”
The men struggle in an overwhelming heat, sweating abundantly. “They do not take breaks because they are paid for harvesting, like sugar cane cutters in Nicaragua,” said Valérie Luyckx, all “when they don’t drink enough.”
A second vicious circle, health this time, settles down then, because these workers need liquids to eliminate toxins from the organization. The kidneys are not hydrated enough, many of these men take ibuprofen in the morning to relieve their muscle pain. “But that damages the kidneys even more, especially in case of dehydration.”
“Historical resolution” of the WHO
At its general assembly at the end of May, the World Health Organization (WHO) adopted a resolution aimed at remedying this problem. Prevention, in particular, must be reinforced. The main challenge lies in the diagnosis. “To diagnose a kidney disease, blood and urine analyzes are necessary, but these tests are far from available everywhere,” explains Valérie Luyckx.
With the help of WHO, structures for better care must be set up in poor countries. The objective is to reach people at risk and, if possible, to test them locally. “In this way, they can be treated before reaching a critical stage requiring dialysis,” explains Valérie Luyckx. The most effective means would however be to limit global warming and improve the social conditions of affected agricultural workers.
Article original: Irene Dietschi (SRF)
French adaptation: Julien Furrer (RTS)
