Environmental risk factors for reduced kidney function due to undetermined cause in India

Background: An epidemic of chronic kidney disease is occurring in rural communities in low-income and middle-income countries that do not share common kidney disease risk factors such as diabetes and hypertension. This chronic kidney disease of unknown etiology occurs primarily in agricultural communities in Central America and South Asia. Consequently, environmental risk factors including heat stress, heavy metals exposure, and low altitude have been hypothesized as risk factors. We conducted an environmental epidemiological analysis investigating these exposures in India which reports the disease. Methods: We used a random sample population in rural and urban sites in Northern and Southern India in 2010, 2011, and 2014 (n = 11,119). We investigated associations of the heat index, altitude, and vicinity to cropland with estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) using satellite-derived data assigned to residential coordinates. We modeled these exposures with eGFR using logistic regression to estimate the risk of low eGFR, and linear mixed models (LMMs) to analyze site-specific eGFR-environment associations. Results: Being over 55 years of age, male, and living in proximity to cropland was associated with increased risk of low eGFR [odds ratio (OR) (95% confidence interval (CI) = 2.24 (1.43, 3.56), 2.32 (1.39, 3.88), and 1.47 (1.16, 2.36)], respectively. In LMMs, vicinity to cropland was associated with low eGFR [-0.80 (-0.44, -0.14)]. No associations were observed with temperature or altitude. Conclusions: Older age, being male, and living in proximity to cropland were negatively associated with eGFR. These analyses are important in identifying subcommunities at higher risk and can help direct future environmental investigations

Methods and participant characteristics in the Cancer Risk in Vegetarians Consortium: a cross-sectional analysis across 11 prospective studies

Background: The associations of vegetarian diets with risks for site-specific cancers have not been estimated reliably due to the low number of vegetarians in previous studies. Therefore, the Cancer Risk in Vegetarians Consortium was established. The aim is to describe and compare the baseline characteristics between non-vegetarian and vegetarian diet groups and between the collaborating studies. Methods: We harmonised individual-level data from 11 prospective cohort studies from Western Europe, North America, South Asia and East Asia. Comparisons of food intakes, sociodemographic and lifestyle factors were made between diet groups and between cohorts using descriptive statistics. Results: 2.3 million participants were included; 66% women and 34% men, with mean ages at recruitment of 57 (SD: 7.8) and 57 (8.6) years, respectively. There were 2.1 million meat eaters, 60,903 poultry eaters, 44,780 pescatarians, 81,165 vegetarians, and 14,167 vegans. Food intake differences between the diet groups varied across the cohorts; for example, fruit and vegetable intakes were generally higher in vegetarians than in meat eaters in all the cohorts except in China. BMI was generally lower in vegetarians, particularly vegans, except for the cohorts in India and China. In general, but with some exceptions, vegetarians were also more likely to be highly educated and physically active and less likely to smoke. In the available resurveys, stability of diet groups was high in all the cohorts except in China. Conclusions: Food intakes and lifestyle factors of both non-vegetarians and vegetarians varied markedly across the individual cohorts, which may be due to differences in both culture and socioeconomic status, as well as differences in questionnaire design. Therefore, care is needed in the interpretation of the impacts of vegetarian diets on cancer risk

Clinical profile of diabetes in the young seen between 1992 and 2009 at a specialist diabetes centre in South India

Aim: To describe the trends and clinical profile of young diabetic patients (YD) attending a tertiary diabetes centre in south India. Methods: We reviewed medical records of 2630 YD patients (age at onset ≤25 years) registered between 1992 and 2009. Patients were classified as type 1 diabetes (T1DM), type 2 diabetes (T2DM) gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and other types. Retinopathy was assessed initially by direct and indirect ophthalmoscopy and later by retinal photography, nephropathy if urine protein excretion was > 500mg/day, neuropathy if vibration perception threshold on biothesiometry was ≥20V. Results: The percentage of YD patients rose from 0.55% in 1992 to 2.5% in 2009 (trend chi square, 15.1, p<0.001). Of the 2630 YD subjects registered, 1135 (43.2%) had T1DM, 1262 (48.0%) had T2DM, 118 (4.5%) had GDM and 115 (4.4%) other types. T1DM patients were younger, had lower body mass index, waist circumference, systolic and diastolic blood pressures, and less family history of diabetes compared to T2DM (p<0.001 for each). Retinopathy was seen in 71.9% and 77.3% nephropathy in 22.1% and 12.1% and neuropathy in 34.5% and 21.4% of T2DM and T1DM respectively in those with ≥15 years duration of diabetes. Conclusions: The percentage of YD in south India is increasing, predominantly due to early onset T2DM