APOL1 genotype associated risk for preeclampsia in African populations: Rationale and protocol design for studies in women of African ancestry in resource limited settings
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Date
2022
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
PLOS ONE
Abstract
Background
Women of African ancestry are highly predisposed to preeclampsia which continues to be a
major cause of maternal death in Africa. Common variants in the APOL1 gene are potent
risk factor for a spectrum of kidney disease. Recent studies have shown that APOL1 risk
variants contribute to the risk of preeclampsia. The aim of the study is to understand the con tribution of APOL1 risk variants to the development of preeclampsia in pregnant women in
Ghana.
Methods
The study is a case-control design which started recruitment in 2019 at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital in Ghana. The study will recruit pregnant women with a target recruitment of
700 cases of preeclampsia and 700 normotensives. Clinical and demographic data of
mother- baby dyad, with biospecimens including cord blood and placenta will be collected to
assess clinical, biochemical and genetic markers of preeclampsia. The study protocol was
approved by Korle Bu Teaching Hospital Institutional Review Board (Reference number:
KBTH-IRB/000108/2018) on October 11, 2018.
Preliminary results
As of December 2021, a total of 773 mother-baby pairs had been recruited and majority of
them had complete entry of data for analysis. The participants are made up of 384 pre eclampsia cases and 389 normotensive mother-baby dyad. The mean age of participants is
30.69 ± 0.32 years for cases and 29.95 ± 0.32 for controls. Majority (85%) of the participants
are between 20-30years. At booking, majority of cases had normal blood pressure com pared to the time of diagnosis where 85% had a systolic BP greater than 140mmHg and a
corresponding 82% had diastolic pressure greater than 90mmHg.
Conclusion
Our study will ultimately provide clinical, biochemical and genotypic data for risk stratification
of preeclampsia and careful monitoring during pregnancy to improve clinical management
and outcomes.
Description
Research Article
Keywords
APOL1 genotype, preeclampsia, African, women
Citation
Citation: Osafo C, Thomford NE, Coleman J, Carboo A, Guure C, Okyere P, et al. (2022) APOL1 genotype associated risk for preeclampsia in African populations: Rationale and protocol design for studies in women of African ancestry in resource limited settings. PLoS ONE 17(12): e0278115. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal. pone.0278115