Warning from a planet heated by climate change?..."You could die from kidney failure without any reason"

On August 12th (local time), a wildfire spread in Giaratana on the Italian island of Sicily, where a record-breaking heatwave exceeding 40 degrees Celsius continued, sending flames and smoke soaring. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hwang Sumi] A warning has been issued that the approaching "heated Earth" due to climate change could damage human kidneys.

On the 21st (local time), the UK Guardian reported, "Medical experts are concerned that if the Earth's temperature continues to rise, millions of people worldwide will suffer from chronic kidney disease," adding, "This phenomenon has already been observed in the hottest hotspots on Earth."

It also stated that urgent research on 'Chronic Kidney Disease of Unknown origin (CKDU)' and assessments of the potential scale of damage are needed.

CKDU was first reported in the 1990s when cases of kidney dysfunction of unknown cause rapidly increased, resulting in deaths in some parts of Central America.

Typically, chronic kidney failure occurs mainly in the elderly as part of the aging process, but in this region, it was mainly found in young adults, especially male outdoor workers. Medical experts have distinguished this phenomenon from general chronic kidney disease (CKD) and called it CKDU.

In subsequent investigations into the causes of CKDU, Katrina Wesseling, a researcher at the Institute of Toxic Substances at the National University of Heredia, analyzed that the kidneys, which maintain the body's balance, suffer daily minor damage due to high temperatures.

She explained, "Lowland farmers are easily exposed to high temperatures and may suffer from chronic dehydration due to excessive sweating," adding, "The thickening of body fluids seems to put strain on kidney cells."

The problem is that the regions affected by CKDU increase as the Earth's temperature rises. The Guardian reported, "Countries like El Salvador and Nicaragua are experiencing rapidly increasing deaths due to kidney disease every year," noting, "The rate is about ten times higher than average, and most are new patients."

In this regard, Todd Kelstrom, a professor of public health at the Australian National University, warned, "As the number of days with high temperatures increases throughout the year and their intensity worsens, two-thirds of the global population living in tropical and subtropical regions will face this phenomenon," adding that it will threaten the health of millions of workers.

Meanwhile, countries around the world are struggling to find ways to reduce carbon emissions ahead of the 26th United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Conference of the Parties (COP26), to be held on the 31st of this month in Glasgow, UK.