death; however, in analyses that also adjusted for comorbid conditions and socioeconomic status, blacks had a higher risk for hypertension, diabetes, and kidney failure only.
When considering only blacks, the APOL1 high-risk variants were linked with a higher risk of kidney failure, but there was high variability in kidney function decline among those with and without the variants.
“We found great variability in kidney function trajectory, such that most African Americans with the high-risk genotype experienced a similar decline as African Americans with the low-risk genotype,” said Dr. Grams. “We did find pervasive racial disparities in adverse health outcomes not explained by the APOL1 risk variants, which suggests that interventions to improve health and health outcomes in African Americans are needed.”
Jasmine Browley holds an MA in journalism from Columbia College Chicago, and has contributed to Ebony, Jet and MADE Magazine among others. So, clearly, she knows some stuff. Follow her digital journey @JasmineBrowley.