Kayode Olanrewaju 
A Professor/UNTH Consultant at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), Prof Ifeoma Ulasi, has conducted a ground-breaking study or research that links a Gene Variant to high prevalence of chronic kidney disease in West Africa.
Ulasi, a Professor of Medicine and Nephrology at UNN and Consultant Physician at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH), and his collaborators in the study discovered that nearly one third of individuals in Nigeria and Ghana may likely develop a kidney disease due to a genetic factor that is common among people from the West African region.
The research, titled “APOL1 Bi- and Monoallelic Variants and Chronic Disease in West Africans” was co-authored by Professor Ulasi, the Principal Investigators on the Study, Prof Akinlolu, Dr Adu and Prof Salako and other researchers, including those from the National Institute of Health (NIH).
The study, among others, highlighted that many people from the West African region have a variant of a gene, called APOL 1, which could significantly increase their risk of developing chronic kidney disease, including a rare kidney condition called “Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis.”
“Although APOL 1 is important for the immune system, a risk variant of a copy of the gene increases the possibility of developing chronic kidney infection by 18 per cent and 25 per cent if the variants occur in two copies of APOL 1,” Ulasi stated in the study.
These findings, according to the study, contrast with earlier studies on the African-American population, which suggested that both copies of APOL 1 were needed to increase the risk of developing kidney disease by individuals of African descent. “It is necessary to identify other individuals in a family, who may have the variant of the APOL 1 gene and are, therefore, at the risk of developing kidney disease.
Thus, if your family member is suffering or has suffered from a kidney disease, it is recommended that other members of the family should go for screening,” Ulasi said. The consultant Physician further added that the findings of the study are significant in halting the progression of chronic kidney diseases in individuals, especially when diagnosed early.
On his part, a co-author of the study and Chief Scientific Officer at the Centre for Research on Genomics and Global Health at NIH’s National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), Adebowale Adeyemo, said: “Knowing your genetic risk for a disease, such as kidney diseases can help you make more informed decisions about your health and potentially lead to early intervention.”
