Written by: Aleeza Riaz Edited by: Ray Zhang In 2002, a report from El Salvador stunned the global nephrology community. Among young men from certain coastal areas, there was a high incidence of idiopathic, or spontaneously arising, chronic kidney disease (CKD) [1]. This mystifying condition, typically endemic to El Salvador’s west coast, was also prevalent in other agricultural populations in Central America. The proposed causes? Exposure to high temperatures, chronic dehydr