Researchers from Ghana, Nigeria, and the United States have made a significant discovery regarding kidney disease in West African populations, which was published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
The study highlights a key genetic factor contributing to the condition.
The research, conducted by the Human Health and Heredity in Africa (H3Africa) Kidney Disease Research Network, analyzed data from 8,355 participants in Ghana and Nigeria, with Ghanaians representing 36.7% of the group.
This study is one of the largest of its kind focused on kidney disease in African populations.
The findings pointed to variants in the Apolipoprotein L1 (APOL1) gene, which was initially protective against sleeping sickness (Trypanosomiasis) but now increases the risk of chronic kidney disease.
Lead researcher Dr. Dwomoa Adu from the University of Ghana Medical School shared that nearly a third of the Ghanaians studied (29.7%) had two copies of the gene, while 43.7% had one.
“Almost a third of Ghanaians studied had two copies of the gene (29.7 percent) and 43.7 percent had one copy of the gene.
Compared with patients with no gene, one copy of the gene increased the risk of kidney failure by 18 percent almost by a fifth, and two copies of the APOL1 gene increased the risk of kidney disease by a quarter (25 percent),” he added.
He noted that having one copy of the gene increased the risk of kidney failure by 18%, and two copies raised it by 25%.
The research team, which included Professors Ojo and Salako, along with Ghanaian experts Dr. Charlotte Osafo and Professor Vincent Boima from the University of Ghana Medical School, Professor Sampson Antwi and the late Professor Jacob Plange-Rhule from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), and Professors Alexander Nyarko and Anita Ghansah from the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, played a crucial role in the study.
Dr. Adu explained that the gene’s impact is comparable to the sickle cell gene, which protected against malaria but can cause other health issues.
“In this way the gene is like the sickle cell gene that protected people against malaria but can cause crises.”
This research emphasizes an evolutionary trade-off between survival advantages in the past and present health risks. The findings could have far-reaching effects beyond West Africa, particularly for populations of African descent worldwide, offering new insights into kidney disease treatment and management.
The study was funded by the National Human Genome Research Institute, the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, and the National Institutes of Health in the United States.
About the H3Africa Kidney Disease Research Network
H3Africa, a joint initiative co-funded by the NIH and the Wellcome Trust since 2010, aims to advance genetic research across Africa. The initiative enables African scientists to investigate the genetic and environmental factors influencing diseases such as malaria, tuberculosis, and kidney disease, among others.