Prevalence and risk factors of chronic kidney disease of unknown etiology in Northeast Thailand.

Summary: In farming areas of Northeast Thailand, many people are getting kidney disease for unknown reasons. Researchers tested over 2,000 people and found that about 1 in 4 had kidney problems, and about 6% had a mysterious type of kidney disease called CKDu. They also tested the local water and found it was often contaminated with dangerous heavy metals and weed killers. The study suggests that drinking this polluted groundwater might be causing these unexplained kidney illnesses.