# Occupational Heat Exposure and Gene-Environment Interactions in Mesoamerican Nephropathy

> **NIH NIH F31** · BOSTON UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CAMPUS · 2020 · $45,520

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
There is an epidemic of chronic kidney disease of unknown etiology in Central America (referred to as
Mesoamerican nephropathy, or MeN) affecting primarily young males employed in manual labor. The MeN
epidemic is not explained by traditional risk factors for kidney disease, such as hypertension or diabetes.
A leading hypothesis for the etiology of this disease is that occupational heat exposure compounded by
genetic susceptibility leads to chronic volume depletion, causing repeated acute kidney injuries that
eventually lead to chronic kidney disease. Research into this hypothesis is limited and no studies to date
have examined gene-environment interactions. Using the extensive exposure and outcome data collected
from the 569 participants of the MesoAmerican Nephropathy Occupational Study (MANOS), this
epidemiologic study aims to investigate the effects of occupational heat exposure on acute kidney injury
and chronic kidney disease in a population with multiple nephrotoxicant co-exposures (e.g. medications,
heavy metals, and agrichemicals). The proposed study will also examine gene-environment interactions
in MeN, using genetic variants that were associated with MeN in independent analyses. With a team of
sponsors and mentors whose expertise includes environmental epidemiology, nephrology, exposure
science, and genetics, Zoe Petropoulos (PI) will undertake the following specific aims: 1) investigate the
effects of total heat load on acute kidney injury and declines in kidney function through intermediate
outcomes of volume depletion and muscle damage, and 2) examine whether genetic variants modify the
associations between total heat load, intermediate outcomes, and kidney injury and function. This research
will inform the understanding of the etiology of MeN and individual susceptibility to the disease, which will
help to identify effective intervention strategies. More broadly, this research will address an understudied
disease epidemic and investigate a non-traditional mechanism of kidney disease, while simultaneously
examining the health effects of extreme heat exposure in the context of multiple co-exposures.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9997668
- **Project number:** 5F31ES030974-02
- **Recipient organization:** BOSTON UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CAMPUS
- **Principal Investigator:** Zoe Petropoulos
- **Activity code:** F31 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $45,520
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-09-01 → 2021-12-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9997668

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9997668, Occupational Heat Exposure and Gene-Environment Interactions in Mesoamerican Nephropathy (5F31ES030974-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9997668. Licensed CC0.

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