Browsing by Author "Godfred Agongo"

Now showing 1 - 8 of 8
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    Cardiometabolic disease risk factors in pre- and postmenopausal women from four sub-Saharan African countries: A cross-sectional study
    (2023-06) Raylton P. Chikwati; Nasrin Goolam Mahyoodeen; Nicole G. Jaff; Michele Ramsay; Lisa K. Micklesfield; Alisha N. Wade; Godfred Agongo; Gershim Asik; Solomon S.R. Choma; Palwende R. Boua; Jaya A. George; Nigel J. Crowther
    Objective: To compare the risk factors for cardiometabolic disease between pre- and postmenopausal women from four sub-Saharan African countries. Study design: This cross-sectional study included 3609 women (1740 premenopausal and 1869 postmenopausal) from sites in Ghana (Navrongo), Burkina Faso (Nanoro), Kenya (Nairobi), and South Africa (Soweto and Dikgale). Demographic, anthropometric and cardiometabolic variables were compared between pre- and postmenopausal women, within and across sites using multivariable regression analyses. The sites represent populations at different stages of the health transition, with those in Ghana and Burkina Faso being rural, whilst those in Kenya and South Africa are more urbanised. Main outcome measures: Anthropometric and cardiometabolic variables. Results: The prevalence rates of risk factors for cardiometabolic disease were higher in South (Soweto and Dikgale) and East (Nairobi) Africa than in West Africa (Nanoro and Navrongo), irrespective of menopausal status. Regression models in combined West African populations demonstrated that postmenopausal women had a larger waist circumference (β = 1.28 (95 % CI: 0.58; 1.98) cm), log subcutaneous fat (β =0.15 (0.10; 0.19)) diastolic (β = 3.04 (1.47; 4.62) mm Hg) and log systolic (β = 0.04 (0.02; 0.06)) blood pressure, log carotid intima media thickness (β = 0.03 (0.01; 0.06)), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (β = 0.14 (0.04; 0.23) mmol/L) and log triglyceride (β= 0.10 (0.04; 0.16)) levels than premenopausal women. No such differences were observed in the South and East African women. Conclusions: Menopause-related differences in risk factors for cardiometabolic disease were prominent in West but not East or South African study sites. These novel findings should inform cardiometabolic disease prevention strategies in midlife women specific to rural and urban and peri-urban locations in sub-Saharan Africa.
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    Carotid Atherosclerosis, Microalbuminuria, and Estimated 10-Year Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease Risk in Sub-Saharan Africa
    (2022-04-01) Engelbert A Nonterah; Daniel Boateng; Nigel J Crowther; Kerstin Klipstein-Grobusch; Abraham R Oduro; Godfred Agongo; Shukri F Mohamed; Palwendé R Boua; Solomon S R Choma; Shane A Norris; Stephen M Tollman; Michiel L Bots; Michèle Ramsay; Diederick Grobbee
    Importance: Carotid atherosclerosis and microalbuminuria are associated with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) but are understudied in sub-Saharan Africa. Objective: To evaluate the association of carotid atherosclerosis and microalbuminuria with 10-year ASCVD risk in middle-aged sub-Saharan African individuals. Design, setting, and participants: This cross-sectional study conducted analyses of baseline data from the African-Wits-INDEPTH (International Network for the Demographic Evaluation of Populations and Their Health in Low- and Middle-Income Countries) genomic study (AWI-Gen). Women and men aged 40 to 60 years without baseline CVD and drawn from Burkina Faso, Ghana, Kenya, and South Africa were included. Main outcomes and measures: Hypotheses for the analyses were formulated after data collection. The main exposures were carotid atherosclerosis, assessed using carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) using B-mode ultrasonography, and microalbuminuria, measured using spot urine albumin (SUA) and urine albumin-creatinine ratio (uACR). The main outcome was high ASCVD risk, defined as a 2018 Pooled Cohort Equations score of 7.5% or greater. Associations were estimated using adjusted multivariable logistic regression analyses. Findings: A total of 9010 participants with a mean (SD) age of 50 (6) years and 4533 (50.3%) women were included. High CIMT, SUA, and uACR were each associated with older age (eg, mean [SD] age of participants with high vs reference range CIMT: 55 [5] years vs 50 [6] years; P < .001) and high prevalence of both diabetes and hypertension (eg, hypertension among those with high vs reference range SUA: 213 of 1117 [19.1%] vs 356 of 2549 [14.0%]; P < .001). Smokers were likely to have higher vs reference range SUA (210 [18.8%] vs 407 [16.0%]) and uACR (138 of 707 [19.5%] vs 456 of 2797 [16.3%]). Carotid atherosclerosis was common in Burkina Faso (82 of 262 [31.3%]) and Ghana (91 [34.7%]), while microalbuminuria, measured by SUA, was common in Kenya (272 [24.4%]) and South Africa (519 [46.5%]). SUA was associated with higher odds of carotid atherosclerosis (odds ratio [OR], 1.77; 95% CI, 1.04-3.01) compared with uACR (OR, 0.51; 95% CI, 0.27-0.95). Common CIMT, SUA, and uACR were associated with 10-year ASCVD risk, with CIMT having a stronger association with 10-year ASCVD risk in both women (OR, 1.95; 95% CI, 1.78-2.14) and men (OR, 1.73; 95% CI, 1.55-1.93) than SUA (women: OR, 1.29; 95% CI, 1.12-1.43; men: OR, 1.46; 95% CI, 1.26-1.55) and uACR (women: OR, 1.32; 95% CI, 1.10-1.54; men: OR, 1.35; 95% CI, 1.15-1.46). Conclusions and relevance: The presence of microalbuminuria measured by SUA may indicate risk of subclinical carotid atherosclerosis and high 10-year ASCVD risk in middle-aged residents of sub-Saharan Africa. These data should be confirmed in longitudinal studies of cardiovascular events.
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    Genetic associations with carotid intima-media thickness link to atherosclerosis with sex-specific effects in sub-Saharan Africans
    (2022-02-14) Palwende Romuald Boua; Jean-Tristan Brandenburg; Ananyo Choudhury; Hermann Sorgho; Engelbert A Nonterah; Godfred Agongo; Gershim Asiki; Lisa Micklesfield; Solomon Choma; Francesc Xavier Gómez-Olivé; Scott Hazelhurst; Halidou Tinto; Nigel J Crowther; Christopher G Mathew; Michèle Ramsay
    Atherosclerosis precedes the onset of clinical manifestations of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). We used carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT) to investigate genetic susceptibility to atherosclerosis in 7894 unrelated adults (3963 women, 3931 men; 40 to 60 years) resident in four sub-Saharan African countries. cIMT was measured by ultrasound and genotyping was performed on the H3Africa SNP Array. Two new African-specific genome-wide significant loci for mean-max cIMT, SIRPA (p = 4.7E-08), and FBXL17 (p = 2.5E-08), were identified. Sex-stratified analysis revealed associations with one male-specific locus, SNX29 (p = 6.3E-09), and two female-specific loci, LARP6 (p = 2.4E-09) and PROK1 (p = 1.0E-08). We replicate previous cIMT associations with different lead SNPs in linkage disequilibrium with SNPs primarily identified in European populations. Our study find significant enrichment for genes involved in oestrogen response from female-specific signals. The genes identified show biological relevance to atherosclerosis and/or CVDs, sex-differences and transferability of signals from non-African studies.
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    Genomic and environmental risk factors for cardiometabolic diseases in Africa: methods used for Phase 1 of the AWI-Gen population cross-sectional study
    (2018-07-12) Stuart A. Al; Cassandra Soo; Godfred Agongo; Marianne Alberts; Lucas Amenga-Etego; Romuald P. Boua; Ananyo Choudhury; Nigel J. Crowther; Cornelius Depuur; F. Xavier GómezOlivé; Issa Guiraud; Tilahun N. Haregu; Scott Hazelhurst; Kathleen Kahn; Christopher Khayeka-Wandabwa; Catherine Kyobutung; Zané Lombard; Felistas Mashinya; Lisa Micklesfield; Shukri F. Mohamed; Freedom Mukomana; Seydou Nakanabo-Diallo; Hamtandi M. Natama; Nicholas Ngomi; Engelbert A. Nonterah; Shane A. Norris; Abraham R. Oduro; Athanase M. Somé; Hermann Sorgho; Paulina Tindana; Halidou Tinto; Stephen Tollman; Rhian Twine; Alisha Wade; Osman Sankoh; Michèle Ramsay
    There is an alarming tide of cardiovascular and metabolic disease (CMD) sweeping across Africa. This may be a result of an increasingly urbanized lifestyle characterized by the growing consumption of processed and calorie-dense food, combined with physical inactivity and more sedentary behaviour. While the link between lifestyle and public health has been extensively studied in Caucasian and African American populations, few studies have been conducted in Africa. This paper describes the detailed methods for Phase 1 of the AWI-Gen study that were used to capture phenotype data and assess the associated risk factors and end points for CMD in persons over the age of 40 years in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). We developed a population-based cross-sectional study of disease burden and phenotype in Africans, across six centres in SSA. These centres are in West Africa (Nanoro, Burkina Faso, and Navrongo, Ghana), in East Africa (Nairobi, Kenya) and in South Africa (Agincourt, Dikgale and Soweto). A total of 10,702 individuals between the ages of 40 and 60 years were recruited into the study across the six centres, plus an additional 1021 participants over the age of 60 years from the Agincourt centre. We collected socio-demographic, anthropometric, medical history, diet, physical activity, fat distribution and alcohol/tobacco consumption data from participants. Blood samples were collected for disease-related biomarker assays, and genomic DNA extraction for genome-wide association studies. Urine samples were collected to assess kidney function. The study provides base-line data for the development of a series of cohorts with a second wave of data collection in Phase 2 of the study. These data will provide valuable insights into the genetic and environmental influences on CMD on the African continent
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    Identifying the prevalence and correlates of multimorbidity in middle-aged men and women: a cross-sectional populationbased study in four African countries
    (2023-02-15) Lisa K Micklesfield; Richard Munthali; Godfred Agongo; Gershim Asiki; Palwende Boua; Solomon SR Choma; Nigel J Crowther; June Fabian; Francesc Xavier Gómez-Olivé; Chodziwadziwa Kabudula; Eric Maimela; Shukri F Mohamed; Engelbert A Nonterah; Frederick J Raal; Hermann Sorgho; Furahini D Tluway; Alisha N Wade; Shane A Norris; Michele Ramsay
    Objectives To determine the prevalence of multimorbidity, to identify which chronic conditions cluster together and to identify factors associated with a greater risk for multimorbidity in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Design Cross-sectional, multicentre, population-based study. Setting Six urban and rural communities in four subSaharan African countries. Participants Men (n=4808) and women (n=5892) between the ages of 40 and 60 years from the AWI-Gen study. Measures Sociodemographic and anthropometric data, and multimorbidity as defined by the presence of two or more of the following conditions: HIV infection, cardiovascular disease, chronic kidney disease, asthma, diabetes, dyslipidaemia, hypertension. Results Multimorbidity prevalence was higher in women compared with men (47.2% vs 35%), and higher in South African men and women compared with their East and West African counterparts. The most common disease combination at all sites was dyslipidaemia and hypertension, with this combination being more prevalent in South African women than any single disease (25% vs 21.6%). Age and body mass index were associated with a higher risk of multimorbidity in men and women; however, lifestyle correlates such as smoking and physical activity were different between the sexes. Conclusions The high prevalence of multimorbidity in middle-aged adults in SSA is of concern, with women currently at higher risk. This prevalence is expected to increase in men, as well as in the East and West African region with the ongoing epidemiological transition. Identifying common disease clusters and correlates of multimorbidity is critical to providing effective interventions.
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    Meta-analysis of sub-Saharan African studies provides insights into genetic architecture of lipid traits
    (2022-05-11) Ananyo Choudhury; Jean-Tristan Brandenburg; Tinashe Chikowore; Dhriti Sengupta; Palwende Romuald Boua; Nigel J. Crowther; Godfred Agongo; Gershim Asik; F. Xavier Gómez-Olivé; Isaac Kisiangani; Eric Maimela; Matshane Masemola-Maphutha; Lisa K. Micklesfield; Engelbert A. Nonterah; Shane A. Norris; Hermann Sorgho; Halidou Tinto; Stephen Tollman; Sarah E. Graham; Cristen J. Willer; AWI-Gen study; H3Africa Consortium; Scott Hazelhurst; Michèle Ramsay
    Genetic associations for lipid traits have identified hundreds of variants with clear differences across European, Asian and African studies. Based on a sub-Saharan-African GWAS for lipid traits in the population cross-sectional AWI-Gen cohort (N = 10,603) we report a novel LDL-C association in the GATB region (P-value=1.56 × 10−8). Meta-analysis with four other African cohorts (N = 23,718) provides supporting evidence for the LDL-C association with the GATB/FHIP1A region and identifies a novel triglyceride association signal close to the FHIT gene (P-value =2.66 × 10−8). Our data enable fine-mapping of several well-known lipid-trait loci including LDLR, PMFBP1 and LPA. The transferability of signals detected in two large global studies (GLGC and PAGE) consistently improves with an increase in the size of the African replication cohort. Polygenic risk score analysis shows increased predictive accuracy for LDL-C levels with the narrowing of genetic distance between the discovery dataset and our cohort. Novel discovery is enhanced with the inclusion of African data.
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    Physical Activity and Its Association With Body Mass Index: A Cross-Sectional Analysis in Middle-Aged Adults From 4 Sub-Saharan African Countries
    (2023-08-17) Monica Mut; Lisa J. Ware; Lisa K. Micklesfield; Michele Ramsay; Godfred Agongo; Palwende R. Boua; Isaac Kisiangani; Ian Cook; Francesc Xavier Go´mez-Olivé; Nigel J. Crowther; Chodziwadziwa Kabudula; Shane A. Norris; Tinashe Chikowore
    Background: This study aimed to explore association of self-reported physical activity domains of work, leisure, and transport-related physical activity and body mass index (BMI) in 9388 adult men and women from the Africa-Wits-INDEPTH partnership for Genomic (AWI-Gen) study in Africa. Africa-Wits-INDEPTH partnership for Genomic is a large, population-based cross-sectional cohort with participants from 6 sites from rural and urban areas in 4 sub-Saharan African countries. Methods: A sex-stratified meta-analysis of cross-sectional data from men and women aged 29–82 years was used to assess the association of physical activity with BMI. Results: Overall, meeting physical activity guidelines of at least 150 minutes per week was associated with 0.82 kg/m2 lower BMI in men (β = −0.80 kg/m2 ; 95% confidence interval [CI], −1.14 to −0.47) and 0.68 kg/m2 lower BMI in women (β = −0.68 kg/m2 ; 95% CI, −1.03 to −0.33). Sex and site-specific differences were observed in the associations between physical activity domains and BMI. Among those who met physical activity guidelines, there was an inverse association between transport-related physical activity and BMI in men from Nanoro (Burkina Faso) (β = −0.79 kg/m2 ; 95% CI, −1.25 to −0.33) as well as work-related physical activity and BMI in Navrongo men (Ghana) (β = −0.76 kg/m2 ; 95% CI, −1.25 to −0.27) and Nanoro women (β = −0.90 kg/m2 ; 95% CI, −1.44 to −0.36). Conclusions: Physical activity may be an effective strategy to curb rising obesity in Africa. More studies are needed to assess the impact of sex and geographic location-specific physical activity interventions on obesity.