Evidence of selected nephrotoxic elements in Sri Lankan human autopsy bone samples of patients with CKDu and controls.

Background: This article describes the analysis and interpretation of data relating to the presence of cadmium, lead, mercury and fluoride in human bone samples obtained from cadavers of patients dying of Chronic Kidney Disease of uncertain aetiology (CKDu) in a case-control study, which the authors believe to be the first in Sri Lanka.

Methods: This is a case-control study comparing selected nephrotoxins levels in autopsy samples of bones from persons confirmed to have died of CKDu, and who had lived in a CKDu hotspot and controls with no history of abnormal kidney functions who had lived in areas having a low prevalence of CKDu.

Results: The average age at death of the cases was 59.