WCN 2017: Latin America and the rise of diabetic nephropathy
Back in 1960 when ISN founder Jean Hamburger recognized the need for an international forum tailored to the nephrology community, little did he know that WCN 2017 would become one of the fi rst nephrology congresses to focus on diabetic nephropathy.
After much success in Cape Town, South Africa in March 2015, we are heading to Mexico City for the next ISN World Congress of Nephrology (WCN), taking place from April 21 to 25, 2017.
The main theme of this congress will focus on the case of Latin America and Mexico in particular, where it seems that diabetes and in turn chronic kidney disease and kidney failure develop at a higher rate than in other regions of the world.
Most recent figures show there are 422 million people with diabetes globally. Among adults over 18 years of age, it has risen from 4.7% in 1980 to 8.5% in 2014. Rates are rising more rapidly in middle- and low-income countries.
Looking at the case of Latin America, researchers have not been able to explain these higher rates. Nor can they fully explain the interplay of several factors including family history, diet and other medical conditions, such as high blood pressure.
“Joining forces with the Sociedad Latinoamericana de Nefrologia e Hipertensión (SLANH), the aim is to educate and raise awareness about prevention so that sustainable forms of care can be maintained in the region but also worldwide,” explains ISN President Adeera Levin.
Levin adds: “WCN 2017 is your chance to connect with the nephrology community in a compact setting, and interact with colleagues as well as explore and understand the critical importance of diabetic kidney disease.”
“At this meeting, you will get a genuinely enriching and professional exchange of knowledge with world-renowned nephrologists, and endocrinologists,” she says.
