Study reveals genetic key to rising kidney disease cases in West Africa

Scientists from Ghana, Nigeria, and the US have identified a genetic factor driving chronic kidney disease among West Africans in a groundbreaking study published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

The study revealed that the APOL1 gene, which once protected against sleeping sickness, now raises the risk of kidney failure.

Nearly 30% of Ghanaians studied had two copies of the gene, doubling their risk.

Led by Dr. Dwomoa Adu of the University of Ghana Medical School, the research featured contributions from KNUST and Noguchi Memorial Institute.

Funded by NIH and H3Africa, this breakthrough opens pathways for targeted treatments to combat kidney disease globally.