PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Genetics contribute to increased risk for end-stage renal disease for African Americans with CKD

2013-11-26
(Press-News.org) Contact information: Lisa Anderson
lisama2@gwu.edu
202-994-3121
George Washington University
Genetics contribute to increased risk for end-stage renal disease for African Americans with CKD WASHINGTON (Nov. 26, 2013) – In the United States, African Americans have approximately twice the risk of end-stage renal disease compared to white Americans, despite a similar prevalence in earlier stages of chronic kidney disease. A large study co-authored by George Washington University (GW) researcher Dominic Raj, M.D., identifies factors that mediate differences in the progression of chronic kidney disease between black patients and white patients, as well as among black patients, in order to reduce the excess burden of end-stage renal disease and its complications in black patients.

The findings, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, examines the effects of variants in the gene encoding apolipoprotein L1 (APOL1) on the progression of chronic kidney disease, according to whether patients have two copies of high-risk APOL1 variants (APOL1 high-risk group) or zero or one copy (APOL1 low-risk group). Renal risk variants in APOL1 were associated with higher rates of end-stage renal disease and progression of chronic kidney disease that were observed in black patients as compared with white patients, regardless of diabetes status.

The findings came from two large National Institutes of Health-funded study cohorts of nearly 5,000 individuals with kidney disease, including the African American Study of Kidney Disease and Hypertension (AASK) and the Chronic Renal Insufficiency Cohort (CRIC) study. The study was supported, in part, by a recent R0-1 grant awarded to Raj.

"This study is a unique example of the importance of collaboration across institutions to deliver high quality science," said Raj, director of the division of nephrology and professor of medicine at the GW School of Medicine and Health Sciences.

The AASK study, which enrolled African American patients with chronic kidney disease attributed to hypertension, found that kidney failure occurred in 58.1 percent of patients in the APOL1 high-risk group and 36.6 percent of those in the APOL1 low-risk group. In the CRIC study, kidney function decline was greater among black patients in the APOL1 high-risk group, but it was similar among black patients in the APOL1 low-risk group and white patients, regardless of their diabetes status.

"This study shows that APOL1 variant confers risk for progression of kidney diseases, independent of blood pressure control and diabetic status in African Americans. Chronic kidney disease is one of the most glaring examples of racial and ethnic disparities in health outcomes in the United States," said Raj. "While this is an important contribution that furthers our understanding for the cause for such disparity, this study also highlights the need for further studies that could lead to risk stratification and early and targeted interventions."

### His paper, titled "APOL1 Risk Variants, Race, and Progression of Chronic Kidney Disease," is available at http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1310345.

To interview Dr. Raj on this research, please contact Lisa Anderson at lisama2@gwu.edu or 202-994-3121.

About the GW School of Medicine and Health Sciences Founded in 1825, the GW School of Medicine and Health Sciences (SMHS) was the first medical school in the nation's capital and is the 11th oldest in the country. Working together in our nation's capital, with integrity and resolve, the GW SMHS is committed to improving the health and well-being of our local, national and global communities. smhs.gwu.edu


ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

NASA satellite tracks Tropical Cyclone Lehar moving toward India

2013-11-26
NASA satellite tracks Tropical Cyclone Lehar moving toward India Tropical cyclone Lehar, located in the Bay of Bengal, continues to gain intensity while heading toward the same area of India where a much weaker tropical cyclone Helen recently came ashore. NASA's TRMM ...

NASA sees Ex-Tropical Cyclone Alessia's remnants trying to reorganize

2013-11-26
NASA sees Ex-Tropical Cyclone Alessia's remnants trying to reorganize After making landfall near Darwin on Nov. 24, the remnants of Ex-Tropical Cyclone Alessia worked its way over to Australia's Northern Territory where it was seen from NASA's Aqua satellite. Aqua ...

New tales told by old infections

2013-11-26
New tales told by old infections Retroviruses are important pathogens capable of crossing species barriers to infect new hosts, but knowledge of their evolutionary history is limited. By mapping endogenous retroviruses (ERVs), retroviruses whose genes have become ...

Hands off -- please

2013-11-26
Hands off -- please Friendly information signs reduce vandalism on scientific equipment This news release is available in German. Behavioural biologists conducting research in the field often depend on state-of-the-art techniques. Consequently, ...

Brain imaging differences in infants at genetic risk for Alzheimer's

2013-11-26
Brain imaging differences in infants at genetic risk for Alzheimer's PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — Researchers from Brown University and Banner Alzheimer's Institute have found that infants who carry a gene associated with increased risk for Alzheimer's disease ...

Using microRNA fit to a T (cell)

2013-11-26
Using microRNA fit to a T (cell) Researchers show B cells can deliver potentially therapeutic bits of modified RNA Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have successfully targeted T lymphocytes – which play a central ...

Cervical cancer screening overused in some groups of women

2013-11-26
Cervical cancer screening overused in some groups of women SALT LAKE CITY— For the past ten years, clinicians throughout the United States have been performing unnecessary Pap tests for cervical cancer screening in certain groups of women, according to a researcher from Huntsman ...

Search for habitable planets should be more conservative

2013-11-26
Search for habitable planets should be more conservative Scientists should take the conservative approach when searching for habitable zones where life-sustaining planets might exist, according to James Kasting, Evan Pugh Professor of Geosciences at Penn State, including ...

UTMB researchers find ear infections down, thanks to vaccine

2013-11-26
UTMB researchers find ear infections down, thanks to vaccine Advent of PCV-13 vaccine in 2010 contributed to sharp downward trend Otitis media, more commonly known as ear infection, is the leading cause of pediatric health care visits and ...

US methane emissions exceed government estimates

2013-11-26
US methane emissions exceed government estimates Collaborative atmospheric study indicates fossil fuel extraction and animal husbandry are major contributors Cambridge, Mass. – November 25, 2013 – Emissions of methane from fossil fuel extraction and refining activities ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Novel treatment combination improves progression-free survival in metastatic, estrogen-receptor-positive HER-2-negative breast cancer

ESMO 2025: Trial results show belzutifan shrinks rare neuroendocrine tumors and improves symptoms in patients

ESMO 2025: Dual targeted therapy shows promise in previously treated advanced kidney cancer patients

New generation of Antibody-Drug Conjugates (ADCs) shows unprecedented promise in early-stage disease

Sylvester Cancer Tip Sheet for October 2025

Three science and technology leaders elected to Hertz Foundation Board of Directors

Jump Trading CSO Kevin Bowers elected to Hertz Foundation Board of Directors

Former Inscripta CEO Sri Kosaraju elected to Hertz Foundation Board of Directors

Citadel’s Jordan Chetty elected to Hertz Foundation Board of Directors

McGill research flags Montreal snow dump, inactive landfills as major methane polluters

A lightweight and rapid bidirectional search algorithm

Eighty-five years of big tree history available in one place for the first time

MIT invents human brain model with six major cell types to enable personalized disease research, drug discovery

Health and economic air quality co-benefits of stringent climate policies

How immune cells deliver their deadly cargo

How the brain becomes a better listener: How focus enhances sound processing

Processed fats found in margarines unlikely to affect heart health

Scientists discover how leukemia cells evade treatment

Sandra Shi MD, MPH, named 2025 STAT Wunderkind

Treating liver disease with microscopic nanoparticles

Chemicals might be hitching a ride on nanoplastics to enter your skin

Pregnant patients with preexisting high cholesterol may have elevated CV risk

UC stroke experts discuss current and future use of AI tools in research and treatment

The Southern Ocean’s low-salinity water locked away CO2 for decades, but...

OHSU researchers develop functional eggs from human skin cells

Most users cannot identify AI bias, even in training data

Hurricane outages: Analysis details the where, and who, of increased future power cuts

Craters on surface of melanoma cells found to serve as sites for tumor killing

Research Spotlight: Mapping overlooked challenges in stroke recovery

Geographic and temporal patterns of screening for breast, cervical, and colorectal cancer in the US

[Press-News.org] Genetics contribute to increased risk for end-stage renal disease for African Americans with CKD