Chronic Kidney Disease of Non-traditional Etiology in a Young Man From Central America: Geography, Poverty, and Uncertain Pathophysiology Create a Formidable Medical Challenge

A man in his early 20s with kidney biopsy-confirmed focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) was admitted with one month of nausea and vomiting, intermittent episodes of confusion, shortness of breath, and dysuria. He reported that many people from his native village in Central America, where he harvested sugarcane as a child, have died from kidney disease, including his father and cousin. He believed the source of disease to be agrochemicals found in the village’s water supply. Although FSGS would be a rare manifestation, the patient’s risk factors strongly suggested chronic kidney disease of unknown etiology (CKDu) - also known as Mesoamerican nephropathy (MeN) - a phenomenon he had never previously heard of. He took lisinopril for the last six years to manage his kidney disease. Due to uremic symptoms and abnormal electrolytes, he was initiated on hemodialysis.