[justlurking]

maybe acute and chronic dehydration (urinalysis would reveal such as would autopsy).

Funny you would mention that.

One of the causes of dehydration is uremia, which is caused by kidney failure.

The article cites a study that is about to be published that found higher levels of creatinin in people living/working in the hotter coastal areas vs. higher altitude.

High levels of creatinin indicate impaired kidney function.

Is it the smoking gun? I don't think so. But, I found it interesting that so many posters to this thread are willing to immediately discount it.

[count-your-change]

There are a lot of things that can damage the kidneys, chronic infection and chemical and drug exposure. If there truly is an unusual number of kidney problems it should be studied both for humanitarian and medical advancement.

There's always the possibility that a common disease or virus has found particularly favorable conditions to spread but.....poor folks taking another hit...ouch!