“Screening for kidney disease in Indigenous Canadian Children”

Dr. Allison Dart and Dr. Barry Lavallee, along with other members of the FINISHED research team recently published an article in Paediatrics & Child Health. The study team was a partnership between two Tribal Council areas involving 11 communities, the Diabetes Integration Project, the Manitoba Renal Program and the Child Health Program in Manitoba, which screened youth from rural Indigenous communities in Manitoba for diabetes and kidney disease. This partnership brought together traditional Indigenous knowledge and western science, and sought to break down jurisdictional barriers for Indigenous children living in Northern communities. They found that markers for early kidney disease such as hypertension, and protein in the urine (ACR) and low kidney function (eGFR) and diabetes were common, with 20% of children screened being at some risk. This highlights the need for more research to confirm these findings as well, more importantly, as to identify prevention and treatment strategies. CLICK HERE to view the article.