Decreased kidney function and agricultural work: a cross-sectional study in middle-aged adults from Tierra Blanca, Mexico

Background: We aimed to determine the prevalence of decreased kidney function in a potential chronic kidney disease (KD) of unknown aetiology hotspot in Mexico, assess its distribution across occupations and examine the associated risk factors. Methods: A cross-sectional study collected sociodemographic, occupational, medical and biometric data from 616 men and women aged 20-60 years who were residents of three communities within the Tierra Blanca region in Mexico. Kidney function was assessed by standardized serum creatinine and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and semi-quantitative albumin-to-creatinine ratio (ACR). To examine the distribution of decreased kidney function within the population, age- and sex-adjusted prevalence of low eGFR (≤60 mL/min/1.73 m2) was estimated for all participants and across occupations. Multivariable logistic regression was used to assess the association of occupation with having low eGFR.