San José, March 2024. With the object of analyzing the situation in the country and exploring possible joint actions, the National Academy of Sciences held this Friday, the Non-Traditional Chronic Kidney Disease forum: Current situation and perspectives for addressing a serious occupational health problem.
In the activity that was developed virtually, from Liberia Hospital, various experts and researchers from the country participated, who deeply addressed this problem that occurs, to a greater extent, in the province of Guanacaste.
Since 1970, Costa Rica has experienced a sustained increase in cases of non-traditional chronic kidney disease, which mainly affects young men, who carry out intense physical activity in environments with high temperatures.
Data from the National Institute of Statistics and Censuses reveal that in the period 2000-2022, in certain regions of Guanacaste, mortality was 16 times higher for men and 4 times higher for women aged between 30-59 years, this in comparison to the rest of the country.
Experts from the National Academy of Sciences, expressed their deep concern about the persistence of this silent epidemic and urged agricultural industrial businessmen, of construction and other relevant sectors, as well as the Ministry of Health, the Costa Rican Social Security Fund ( CCSS), the National Insurance Institute, municipalities and other governments, as well as local organizations, to establish urgent measures for the prevention of this occupational disease, which continues to have serious consequences in one of the most vulnerable populations in our country.
“The statistics put into perspective the seriousness of the situation that is being experienced, mainly in Guanacaste, where more forceful actions are urgently needed to stop this epidemic. We know that there are a series of recommendations to prevent kidney damage and that, in our country, the Ministry of Labor and Social Security has issued guidelines for the implementation of preventive measures in the workplace. However, we believe that these recommendations should be implemented correctly and consistently and that their effectiveness should be continually evaluated. In addition, it is necessary to design programs that reach workers in the informal sector, who make up a high proportion of the workforce at risk,” says Dr. José María Gutiérrez Gutiérrez, member of the National Academy of Sciences.
Non-traditional chronic kidney disease was initially detected in sugar cane field workers, but has also been observed in workers in other agricultural crops, as well as in the construction, mines, brick manufacturing, shrimp farms and fishing sectors, among others.
The excess heat, or thermal stress, generated in these work activities, produces an increase in body temperature and dehydration, causing severe metabolic changes that damage the kidneys. The possibility of a transplant is generally not an option for patients, who very often die at a young age.
The large number of people affected by this disease in Guanacaste made it necessary for the C.C.S.S. to build modern facilities at the Enrique Baltodano Briceño Hospital, in Liberia, to care for patients. However, new cases continue to overwhelm services and deaths continue.
This situation is aggravated by the socioeconomic condition of the majority of these workers, often migrants without a stable job and with limited access to health services.