Explore more Centres, Projects and Groups
Welcome
Welcome Banner
Banner
Bottom Content
Logo List Links
Collaborating partners
Funder
Intro Blocks List
About
We are a collaboration of researchers in the United Kingdom, India, Nicaragua, Sri Lanka and many other countries, conducting research into the causes of Chronic Kidney Disease of unknown cause (CKDu). Our collaboration is funded by a Programme Grant from the UK Medical Research Council (UKRI).
We are conducting two sets of studies to identify the causes of these epidemics:
Donations
Who we are
Team Block
Profiles List
Neil
Pearce
Professor of Biostatistics and Epidemiology
Charlotte
Rutter
Research Fellow in Biostatistics
Alice Coombes
Donna
Davoren
Secretary and PA
Observers
Publications
Publications MRC CKDU 2 columns
Publications MRC CKDU 2 columns left paragraph
Paragraph
- DEGREE publications
- Aryal N, Regmi PR, Sedhain A, Bhattarai S, Radheshyam Krishna KC, Mishra SK, Caplin B, Pearce N, van Teijlingen E. Chronic kidney risk among Nepalese migrant workers in the countries of Gulf and Malaysia: a population-based cross-sectional survey in Nepal. BMC Nephrology, in press.
- Rutter CE, Njoroge M, Cooper P, Dorairaj P, Jha V, Kaur P, Mohan S, Tatapudi RR, Biggeri A, Rohloff P, Hathaway M, Crampin A, Dhimal M, Poudyal A, Bernabe-Ortiz A, O’Callaghan-Gordo C, Chulasiri P, Gunawardena N, Ruwanpathirana T, Wickramasinghe SC, Senanayake S, Kitiyakara C, Gonzales Quiroz M, Cortés S, Jakobssen K, Correa-Rotter R, Glaser J, Singh A, Hamilton S, Nair D, Aragón A, Nitsch D, Robertson S, Caplin B, Pearce N, and the DEGREE Study Group. International patterns of prevalence of low estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) in population-based surveys of working age adults: The Disadvantaged Populations eGFR Epidemiology Study (DEGREE). Kidney International 2025; 107: 541-547.
- Ruiz-Alejos AO, Caplin B, Miranda JJ, Pearce N, Bernabé-Ortiz A. CKD and CKDu in Northern Peru: a cross-sectional analysis under the DEGREE protocol. BMC Nephrology 2021; 22: 37. [doi.org/10.1186/s12882-021-02239-8].
- Hamilton SA, Nakanga WP, Prynn JE, Crampin AC, Fecht D, Vineis P, Caplin B, Pearce N, Nyirenda MJ. Prevalence and risk factors for chronic kidney disease of unknown cause in Malawi: a cross-sectional analysis in a rural and urban population. BMC Nephrology 2020; 21: 387 [doi.org/10.1186/s12882-020-02034-x].
- Gonzalez-Quiroz M, Nitsch D, Hamilton S, O’Callaghan-Gordo C, Saran R, Glaser J, Correa-Rotter R, Jakobsson K, Singh A, Gunawardena N, Levin A, Remuzzi G, Caplin B, Pearce N, on behalf of the DEGREE Study Steering Committee. Rationale and population-based prospective cohort protocol for the Disadvantaged Populations at Risk of Decline in eGFR (CO-DEGREE). BMJ Open 2019 9: e031169 [doi:10.11.1136/bmjopen-2019-031169].
- Ruwanpathirana T, Senanayake S, Gunawardana N, Munasinghe A, Ginige S, Gamage D, Amarasekara J, Lokuketagoda B, Chulasiri P, Amunugama S, Palihawasana P, Caplin B, Pearce N. Prevalence and risk factors for impaired kidney function in the district of Anaradhapura, Sri Lanka. BMC Public Health 2019; 19: 763 [doi:10.1186/s12889-019-7117-2].
- O’Callaghan-Gordo C, Shivashankar R, Anand S, Ghosh S, Glaser J, Gupta R, Jakobsson K, Kondal D, Krishnan A, Mohan S, Mohan V, Nitsch D, Praveen PA, Tandon N, Venkat Narayan V, Pearce N, Caplin B, Prabhakharan D. Chronic kidney disease of unknown aetiology in India: prevalence and risk factors. BMJ Open 2019; 9: e023353 [doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2018-023353].
- Caplin B, Jakobsson K, Glaser J, Nitsch D, Jha V, Singh A, Correa-Rotter R, Pearce N. International collaboration for the epidemiology of eGFR in low-and-middle income populations: Rationale and core protocol for the Disadvantaged populations eGFR epidemiology study (DEGREE). BMC Nephrology 2017; 18: 1; DOI 10.1186/s12882-016-0417-1.
- Community cohort study publications
- Caplin B, Agarwal S, Day A., Oomatia A, Al-Rashed AM, Gonzalez-Quiroz M, Pearce N. Serum Total Immunoglobulin-E Levels and Early Loss of eGFR in Individuals at Risk of Mesoamerican Nephropathy: A Nested Case-Control Analysis from a Population Representative Follow-Up Study. medRxiv (2026).
- Pineda Reyes AL, Jaime J, Lopez-Bonilla I, Pearce N, Caplin B, Aragón A, González-Quiroz M. Experiences of Heat Stress and Adapting Practices among Farmworkers in Northwest Nicaragua: A Qualitative Study. BMJ Open, in press.
- Oomatia A, Chervova O, Al-Rashed AM, Smpokou E-T, Ecker S, Pearce N, Heggeseth B, Nitsch D, Cardenas A, Beck S, Gonzalez-Quiroz M, Caplin B. Longitudinal leukocyte DNA methylation changes in Mesoamerican nephropathy. Environmental Epigenetics 2025; 11: 1-10 [doi.org/10.1093/dvaf001].
- Oomatia A, Badri FM, Al-Rashed AM, Gonzalez MA, Nitsch D, Pearce N, Caplin B, The Colt/UK MRC CKDu Study Group. Urinary Phenotyping in Mesoamerican Nephropathy: SA-PO705. Journal of the American Society of Nephrology. 2023;34(11S):924. doi: 10.1681/ASN.20233411S1924b. PubMed PMID: 00001751-202311001-03259. [abstract]
- Al-Rashed AM, Gonzalez MA, Oomatia A, Nitsch D, Pearce N, Coltart C, Caplin B, The Colt/UK MRC CKDu Study Group. Prevalence of Asymptomatic Urinary Leptospira Carriage Among Young Adults at Risk of Mesoamerican Nephropathy: PUB425. Journal of the American Society of Nephrology. 2023;34(11S):1169-70. doi: 10.1681/ASN.20233411S11169d. PubMed PMID: 00001751-202311001-04109. . [abstract]
- Gonzalez-Quiroz M, Heggeseth B, Camacho A, Oomatia A, Al-Rashed AM, Zhang Y, McCreight A, Jewel N, Aragon A, Nitsch D, Pearce N, Caplin B. Population-level detection of early-stage kidney injury: 7-year follow-up of a young adult cohort at risk of Mesoamerican Nephropathy. International Journal of Epidemiology 2024; 53: dyad151 [doi.org/10.1093/ije/dyad151].
- Smpokou E-T, Gonzalez-Quiroz M, Martins C, Alvito P, Le Blond J, Glaser J, Aragon A, Wesseling C, Nitsch D, Pearce N, Norman J, Lindh C, Morton J, Caplin B. Systematic investigation of environmental exposures in young adults with declining kidney function in a population at risk of Mesoamerican Nephropathy (MeN). Occupational and Environmental Medicine 2019; 76: 920-926.
- Gonzalez-Quiroz M, Smpokou E-T, Pearce N, Caplin B, Nitsch D. Identification of young adults at risk of an accelerated loss of kidney function in an area affected by Mesoamerican nephropathy. BMC Nephrology 2019; 20: 21; doi 10.1186/s12882-018-1193-4.
- Gonzalez-Quiroz M, Smpokou E-T, Silverwood RJ, Camacho A, Faber D, Garcia BLR, Oomatia A, Hill M, Glaser J, Le Blond J, Wesselling C, Aragon A, Smeeth L, Pearce N, Nitsch D, Caplin B. Marked decline in kidney function amongst apparently healthy young adults at risk of Mesoamerican nephropathy. Journal of the American Society of Nephrology 2018; 29: 2200-2212.
- Gonzalez-Quiroz M, Pearce N, Caplin B, Nitsch D. What do epidemiological studies tell us about chronic kidney disease of undetermined cause in Mesoamerica? A systematic review and meta-analysis. Clinical Kidney Journal 2018; 11: 496-506.
- Gonzalez-Quiroz MA, Benito Camacho A, Faber D, Aragon Benavides A, Wesseling C, Glaser J, Le Blond J, Smeeth L, Nitsch D, Pearce N, Caplin B. Rationale, description, and baseline findings of a community-based prospective cohort study of kidney function amongst the young rural population of Northwest Nicaragua. BMC Nephrology 2017; 18: 16; DOI 10.1186/s12882-016-0422-4.
- Caplin B, Gonzalez-Quiroz M, Pearce N. Gaining insights into the evolution of CKDnt from community-based follow-up studies. In: Wegman D, Crowe J, Hogstedt C, Jakopbsson K, Wesseling C (eds). Mesonamerican Nephropathy: Report from the Second International Research Workshop on MeN. San Jose, Costa Rica: SALTRA, 2016, pp100-105.
- Other publications
- Caplin B, Anand S, Gonzalez-Quiroz MA, Madero M, Michael M, Mohan S, Strasma A, Swaminathan S, Waikar SS, ISN i3C Working Group. Taking the ‘unknown’ out of CKDu - Optimising approaches to uncover the cause(s) of epidemic-level kidney disease in low- and middle-income settings: A report from the ISN’s International Consortium of CKDu collaborators (ISN i3C). Kidney Int. 2026: In Press.
- Goni BW, Hamidu HSK, Abdu A, Ummate I, Abdu A, Ba'aba AI, Sulaiman MM, Umar L, Gana ML, Abdulkadir A, Musa S, Adamu S, Usman IA, Alhaji HS, Musa AI, Adam HB, Ismail AU, Papka A, Mustapha M, Mohammed SY, Oomatia A, Maina MB, Pearce N, Caplin B. High burden of chronic kidney disease of unknown cause among patients receiving renal replacement therapy in Northeast Nigeria: A cross-sectional survey of haemodialysis units. Niger Med J. 2025;66(2):564-74. Epub 20250616. doi: 10.71480/nmj.v66i2.687. PubMed PMID: 40703888; PMCID: PMC12280289.
- Koch S, Buekers J, Espinosa A, Gómez-Salgado J, Pombo G, Werkman L, Arjona L, Al Rashed A, Caplin B, Kogevinas M, Brocal Fernandez F, Oomatia A, Pearce N, Ramirez-Rubio O, Ruíz-Frutos C, Garcia-Aymerich J, O’Callaghan-Gordo C. Association of objectively assessed physical activity and heat stress with kidney function in female harvest workers in Spain. Environmental Research 2025; 276: 121420.
- Wijewickrama E, Caplin B. Heat Exposure and Short-Term Changes in Kidney Biomarkers: Answers to the CKD of Unknown Etiology Conundrum? Kidney Int Rep. 2025;10(8):2527-9. Epub 20250618. doi: 10.1016/j.ekir.2025.06.011. PubMed PMID: 40814942; PMCID: PMC12347894.
- Zhang Z, Heerspink HJL, Chertow GM, Correa-Rotter R, Gasparrini A, Jongs N, Langkilde AM, McMurray JJV, Mistry MN, Rossing P, Toto RD, Vart P, Nitsch D, Wheeler DC, Caplin B. Ambient heat exposure and kidney function in patients with chronic kidney disease: a post-hoc analysis of the DAPA-CKD trial. Lancet Planet Health. 2024;8(4):e225-e33. doi: 10.1016/S2542-5196(24)00026-3. PubMed PMID: 38580424.
- Pearce N, Caplin B. Let’s take the heat out of the CKDu debate! More evidence is needed. Occupational and Environmental Health 2019; 76: 357-359.
- Pearce N, Caplin B, Gunawardena N, Kaur P, O’Callaghan-Gordo C, Ruwampathirana T. Chronic kidney disease of unknown cause (CKDu): a global epidemic? Kidney International Reports 2019; 4: 367-369.
- Anand S, Caplin B, Gonzalez-Quiroz M, Schensul SL, Bhalia V, Parada X, Nanayakkara N, Fire A, Levin A, Friedman DJ, on behalf of International Society of Nephrology’s International Consortium of Collaborators on Kidney Disease. Epidemiology, molecular, and genetic methodologies to evaluate causes of CKDu around the world: report of the Working Group from the ISN International Consortium of Collaborators on CKDu. Kidney International 2019; 96: 1254-1260.
- Caplin B, Yang C-W, Anand S, Levin A, Madero M, Saran R, Jayasinghe S, De Broe M, Yeates K, Tonelli M, Jakobsson K, Strani L, Ruggiero A, Glaser J, Martin E, Pearce N, Wijewickrama E, on behalf of International Society of Nephrology’s International Consortium of Collaborators on Chronic Kidney Disease of Kidney Disease of Unknown etiology (i3C). The International Society of Nephrology’s International Consortium of Collaborators on Chronic Kidney Disease of Unknown Etiology: Report of the working group on approaches to population-level detection strategies and recommendations for a minimum dataset. Kidney International 2019; 95: 4-10.
- Mahalingasivam V, Caplin B. Chronic kidney disease of undetermined aetiology: tens of thousands of premature deaths, yet too much remains unknown. Nephrol Dial Transplant. 2019;34(11):1839-41. doi: 10.1093/ndt/gfz014. PubMed PMID: 31681952.