Zachary Schlader, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Department of Kinesiology
Indiana University – Bloomington
“Too hot to handle? Heat stress, heatwaves, and the kidneys.”
Epidemiological evidence indicates that heat exposure, either in the context of heatwaves or in occupational settings, increases the risk of kidney injury. Moreover, it is often speculated that repeated exposure to heat-induced subclinical kidney injury can cause chronic kidney disease. This is perhaps best exemplified by the point that repeated heat exposure is considered as an important factor contributing to the epidemic of chronic kidney disease of non-traditional causes afflicting manual laborers (e.g., sugarcane cutters) in Central America and other manual labor hotspots around the globe. The way heat exposure elevates kidney injury risk is likely multifactorial, with many factors likely play important roles. Examples include the magnitudes of hyperthermia (i.e., rise in core temperature) and dehydration (i.e., body water loss), the intensity of exercise (or physical work) and the type of rehydration beverage, all of which modify the neural and hormonal responses to heat exposure that have been proposed to create localized oxygen supply – demand mismatches within the kidneys. This seminar will present some of the evidence linking heat exposure to the increased risk of kidney injury and provide initial insights into the factors modifying the intrarenal milieu. The seminar will focus primarily on data obtained from human subjects’ studies and supplemented with epidemiological and preclinical data where necessary.
Friday, March 3, 2023, 11:00AM-12:00PM, LIB-110
University of North Texas Health Science Center
Fort Worth, Texas