About Us

Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) is an illness affecting the kidneys, that if not identified and treated in early stages, requires transplant or dialysis to save the lives of patients. During the last 20 years, in several regions of Central America, there has been an increase of a new type of CKD that is not linked with diabetes, obesity, hypertension, or age. This disease is referred to as “Chronic Kidney Disease of unknown origin” (CKDu), CKD of “non-traditional causes” (CKDnt) or the “Mesoamerican Nephropathy” (MeN) when it occurs in this part of the world.  Those most frequently affected by Mesoamerican Nephropathy are young men that live near the Pacific coast of Mesoamerica and who do physically strenuous works in hot climates. CKDu has been responsible for over 20,000 deaths in Central America in recent years. Finding the causes and responding to the needs of patients affected by this disease has been declared a priority by COMISCA (The Health Ministers of Central America and the Dominican Republic) and PAHO (The Pan-American Health Organization, http://iris.paho.org/xmlui/handle/123456789/4401) on an international level.

The Consortium for the Epidemic of Nephropathy in Central America and Mexico (CENCAM) was created in 2012 as a society of scientists, clinicians, and other stakeholders involved with CKDu. The goal of CENCAM is to expand our understanding of the causes and mechanisms of CKDu, and to promote collaboration between countries and disciplines, in order to ultimately promote improved surveillance, prevention, and management of the disease. CENCAM started with 53 members from 15 countries and now has more than 130 members from over 20 countries.