• Salman Imtiaz, Ashar Alam, and Beena Salman.
• Prof. Dr. Salman Imtiaz Senior Consultant Nephrologist, Department of Nephrology, The Indus Hospital Karachi, Korangi Crossing 75190, Pakistan.
• Pak J Med Sci. 2020 Jan 1; 36 (1): S67S74S67-S74.

AbstractPakistan is experiencing a "double burden'' of disease. Under-development is associated with illnesses like infections and nutritional deficiency, and is accompanied with diseases linked with development, such as diabetes, hypertension, cancer and chronic kidney disease. In Pakistan, renal and genitourinary diseases are an important, unaddressed health issues. Chronic kidney disease of unknown etiology (CKDu) is a recognized form of renal failure in Pakistan. A possible cause of CKDu is toxins such as arsenic, cadmium, lead and other heavy metals associated with renal and genitourinary diseases. The poultry industry is an important source of both heavy metal toxins and also mycotoxins spread in the process of farming. Of the numerous mycotoxins, zearalenone and ochratoxin are well-known for their hazardous effects on genitourinary and renal parenchyma respectively. We reviewed the literature using PubMed and Google Scholar databases for levels of these toxins in various constituents of chicken farming like chicken feed, meat, litter and human drinking water contamination in various parts of the country. We found that these toxins are in higher levels than recommended.Copyright: © Pakistan Journal of Medical Sciences.

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