Association Between APOL1 Genotype and Need for Kidney Replacement Therapy in Patients Without Diabetes: Does Age Matter?
The presence of 2 copies of apolipoprotein L1 (APOL1) renal risk variants (RRVs) has been associated with a higher risk for requiring kidney replacement therapy (KRT) among people with African heritage.1 Age of KRT onset is typically younger for individuals with 2 versus 0 to 1 RRVs.2-5 It is likely that the relationship between high-risk genotype and risk of KRT attenuates with aging, but it is unclear whether there is an age threshold when APOL1 may no longer be a strong risk factor for KRT. We performed a retrospective analysis of AASK1,6,7 to examine whether there is an age threshold when the effect of APOL1 genotype on KRT risk attenuates among blacks with baseline CKD.