Exposure of patients with chronic kidney disease on dialysis to pesticides

Introduction: Pesticides can trigger kidney disease. Objective: To describe the exposure to pesticides of patients with chronic kidney disease on dialysis. Methods: Quantitative and descriptive field research, with 90 patients with chronic kidney disease on dialysis in two hemodialysis units in the state of Santa Catarina, through the application of a structured questionnaire. Participants were divided into two groups: with and without exposure to pesticides. The questionnaire was applied in hemodialysis clinics during treatment. Laboratory test values were collected from clinical records. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and association using the chi-square test. For laboratory test data, a comparison of means was performed using the unpaired Student's t-test between the groups. Results: The mean age of exposed participants was 58 years (+/- 13.7; minimum = 23; maximum = 75) and that of non-exposed participants was 64 years old (+/- 13.9; minimum = 35; maximum = 96). Of the 90 patients, 30% were exposed to pesticides. The mean exposure time was 6.7 +/- 3.8 hours/ day. There was a statistically significant association between the preparation of the mixture with pesticides and diabetes (p = 0.048). There was no statistically significant difference between the results of laboratory tests in the exposed and non- exposed groups. Conclusion: This study shows that pesticides can be triggering factors for chronic kidney disease (CKD); however, we must expand research in this field to prove the relationship between exposure to pesticides and CKD.