Acute Presentation of Mesoamerican Nephropathy in an Agricultural Worker From Panama

Mesoamerican nephropathy (MeN) is Central America's growing endemic renal disorder. No single cause is established, but many risk factors are hypothesized, such as young and medium-aged adults, male sex, work environment, heavy metals and agrochemicals exposure, occupational heat stress, nephrotoxic drug use, and low socioeconomic status. The diagnosis is confirmed by renal biopsy with chronic tubular atrophy and tubulointerstitial nephritis. If biopsies are unavailable, MeN is clinically suspected in patients residing in hotspot regions with a reduced estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and the absence of defining etiology, such as hypertension, diabetes, or glomerulonephritis. Currently, there is no specific treatment for which early diagnosis and intervention on risk factors is the primary strategy to improve prognosis. We report a case of a young male with agricultural labor exposure who presented with acute abdominal pain, back pain, and renal dysfunction that later progressed to chronic kidney disease (CKD) due to MeN. This case is significant because, although MeN is well-described in the literature, few cases of acute presentation have been documented.