Abstract

Every January and June Drs. Pfaffle and Zorn of Carthage College host a large group of students on their J-term Nicaragua trip. Students meet and shadow Nicaraguan doctors, assist with water projects to make fresh water more available to Nicaraguans, and explore the cultural and geographical aspects that make Nicaragua unique. Recently there has been an increase of kidney pathologies in the Central Americas, particularly a mysterious disease called Chronic Kidney Disease of Unknown Origin (CKDu). The disease is difficult to identify and often goes undiagnosed until the later stages. The purpose of this project was to survey Nicaraguan doctors, whom the American students shadowed, to gain a first-hand view on the spread of this mysterious disease. There have been many proposed hypotheses towards the origin of CKDu, but the most supported by the literature and the Nicaraguan doctors is the overuse of pesticides in this agriculture-based economy. CKDu is a growing concern in Nicaragua, and since health-care is out of reach either financially or by location for many rural Nicaraguans, diagnosed patients are advised to practice healthy habits and diet. Future research on CKDu aims to determine the biochemical mechanisms of CKDu, and more importantly bring forth preventative measures.