Kidney disease has been associated with air pollution

It is well known that air pollution is associated with increased risks for illnesses including asthma, bronchitis, cardiovascular disease and cancer. A new study has shown air pollution is also associated with higher rates of kidney disease reports the American Society of Nephrology via EurekAlert. There are higher rates of membranous nephropathy in regions of China which have high levels of fine particulate air pollution. Membranous nephropathy is an immune disorder of the kidneys which can lead to kidney failure. This disease has increased significantly in China. Air pollution has been becoming a bigger and bigger problem in China over the years. A research team led by Fan Fan Hou, MD, PhD and Xin Xu, MD, PhD at the Southern Medical University, in Guangzhou, China analyzed data from kidney biopsies which were taken over 11 years from 71,151 patients from 938 hospitals in 282 cities throughout China. Over this period of time the chance of developing membranous nephropathy increased 13 percent a year. The highest rates of this disease were seen in regions with high levels of fine particulate air pollution. This study has been published in the American Society of Nephrology. There is clearly a need to carefully watch the role which air pollution in urban areas is playing in the development of kidney disease. It is clear that clean fresh air is significant for overall good health and therefore there should be greater initiatives to clean up the environment.