# American Indian Chronic Renal Insufficiency Cohort Study (AI-CRIC)

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO HEALTH SCIS CTR · 2020 · $680,520

## Abstract

Program Director/Principal Investigator (Last, First, Middle): Shah, Vallabh O and Unruh Mark
Despite experiencing high levels of kidney disease compared to other ethnic/racial groups in the United States,
American Indians (AIs) continue to receive relatively little attention from researchers studying CKD. An example
is the current CRIC study, where less than 1% of participants in this flagship study are AIs. Risk factors for
diabetic kidney disease, the predominant form of CKD in this population, include the traditional risk factors of
hyperglycemia, hypertension, and inheritance, but also other factors such as exposure to various persistent
environmental pollutants. The distribution and determinants of CKD among AIs has been understudied, leaving
many questions unanswered about the progression of CKD among AIs, as well as the prevalence of
cardiovascular disease (CVD) in the setting of CKD among these populations. This is an urgent issue given the
public health impact in AI communities and the relative lack of ongoing research.
To address this burden of CKD in Native communities we have formed a consortium of investigators with
extensive experience in conducting research of chronic diseases including diabetes, cardiovascular and kidney
disease in AIs of Southwestern US. Our proposed CRIC ancillary cohort study of 500 AIs (AI-CRIC) will rapidly
improve our understanding of both potential risk factors for CKD progression, as well as the scope of this disease
among AIs. This proposal leverages the current CRIC study and incorporates the planned activities of the next
phase of the study – “CRIC 2018” – by implementing contemporary CRIC protocols for kidney and cardiovascular
measurement and outcomes. The overall goal of the proposed prospective cohort study is to precisely assess
the extent to which there are higher rates of CKD/CVD progression in AIs than in other racial/ethnic groups
based on standardized definitions used throughout CRIC and relate CKD to the levels of potential environmental
and occupational exposures unique to AIs residing in the American Southwest. To better understand the natural
history of CKD/CVD in this high-risk population, AI-CRIC will implement the CRIC 2018 protocol of ambulatory
monitoring of kidney function and damage along with evaluations of CVD sub-phenotypes using mobile health
technologies. We will address these overarching goals with the following specific aims:
Specific Aim 1: Conduct a longitudinal study of a CKD cohort of southwest AIs to identify unique risk factors for
CKD and CVD progression and compare CKD and CVD event rates and risk factors between AI and other
populations represented in CRIC;
Specific Aim 2: Conduct ambulatory monitoring of kidney function and damage, and evaluate its relationship with
exposure data;
Specific Aim 3: Conduct CVD sub-phenotyping using mobile health technologies and evaluate its relationship
with exposures data.
This proposal takes advantage of the ongoing data collectio...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9975168
- **Project number:** 5R01DK119199-02
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO HEALTH SCIS CTR
- **Principal Investigator:** VALLABH O SHAH
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $680,520
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-07-09 → 2024-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9975168

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9975168, American Indian Chronic Renal Insufficiency Cohort Study (AI-CRIC) (5R01DK119199-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9975168. Licensed CC0.

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