Association Between APOL1 Gene High-Risk Alleles and Cardiovascular Disease in Patients with CKD at Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital in Kano, Nigeria

Background: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) has become an increasingly important cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. It is a major global health burden. Individuals of African ancestry have a higher risk of developing CKD, faster progression to kidney failure and poorer outcomes. This research aims to determine the association between APOL1 gene high-risk alleles and cardiovascular diseases in patients with CKD at Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital (AKTH). Methods: The study was a hospital-based cross-sectional study involving patients with CKD attending the Nephrology Clinic and those on maintenance hemodialysis at AKTH Hospital over a period of 3 months. Eighty patients with CKD (Group 1) . Two sets of control participants comprising eighty age- and sex-matched individuals with cardiovascular disease with no CKD (Group 2) and eighty age- and sex-matched individuals without evidence of kidney disease or CVD (Group 3) were recruited from the hospital community as controls. Results: The prevalence among CKD participants of hypertension was 53.2%, peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD) 81.0%, diabetes mellitus (DM) 47.2%, Myocardial infarction (MI) 41.9%, Congestive heart failure (CHF) 34.4%, and stroke 46%. The CKD participants had a higher Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol of 88.9%, low serum calcium of 77.7%, higher serum uric acid 55.6%, and all the CKD participants had low serum albumin and albuminuria >30mg/mmol. The study also found that 12.5% of cases with CKD have APOL1 HR alleles, Conclusion: The study showed a distribution of CVD risk factors and complications among CKD patients, with notable differences between the LR (Low-risk APOL1 alleles) and HR (High-risk APOL1 alleles) groups in terms of factors like stroke, proteinuria, and serum phosphate levels. However, the study found a significant association between high-risk APOL1 variants and proteinuria, and stroke but no association with hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and other cardiovascular diseases. Funding: Government Support – Non-U.S.