Effect of Previous Exposure to Malaria on Blood Pressure in Kilifi, Kenya: A Mendelian Randomization Study.

Background Malaria exposure in childhood may contribute to high blood pressure ( BP ) in adults. We used sickle cell trait ( SCT ) and αthalassemia, genetic variants conferring partial protection against malaria, as tools to test this hypothesis. Methods and Results Study sites were Kilifi, Kenya, which has malaria transmission, and Nairobi, Kenya, and Jackson, Mississippi, where there is no malaria transmission.

Blood Pressure and Arterial Stiffness in Kenyan Adolescents With the Sickle Cell Trait.

The potential association between sickle cell trait (SCT) and increased arterial stiffness/blood pressure (BP) has not been evaluated in detail despite its association with stroke, sudden death, and renal disease. We performed 24-hour ambulatory BP monitoring and arterial stiffness measurements in adolescents raised in a malaria-free environment in Kenya. Between December 2015 and June 2016, 938 randomly selected adolescents (ages 11-17 years) who had been continuous residents of Nairobi from birth were invited to participate in the study.

Blood Pressure and Arterial Stiffness in Kenyan Adolescents With αThalassemia.

Background: Recent studies have discovered that α-globin is expressed in blood vessel walls where it plays a role in regulating vascular tone. We tested the hypothesis that blood pressure (BP) might differ between normal individuals and those with αthalassemia, in whom the production of α-globin is reduced.

Methods And Results: The study was conducted in Nairobi, Kenya, among 938 adolescents aged 11 to 17 years.

Clinical and Epidemiological Implications of 24-Hour Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring for the Diagnosis of Hypertension in Kenyan Adults: A Population-Based Study.

Background: The clinical and epidemiological implications of using ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) for the diagnosis of hypertension have not been studied at a population level in sub-Saharan Africa. We examined the impact of ABPM use among Kenyan adults.

Methods And Results: We performed a nested case-control study of diagnostic accuracy.

Burden of disease in adults admitted to hospital in a rural region of coastal Kenya: an analysis of data from linked clinical and demographic surveillance systems.

Background: Estimates of the burden of disease in adults in sub-Saharan Africa largely rely on models of sparse data. We aimed to measure the burden of disease in adults living in a rural area of coastal Kenya with use of linked clinical and demographic surveillance data.

Methods: We used data from 18,712 adults admitted to Kilifi District Hospital (Kilifi, Kenya) between Jan 1, 2007, and Dec 31, 2012, linked to 790,635 person-years of observation within the Kilifi Health and Demographic Surveillance System, to establish the rates and major causes of admission to hospital.

Verbal autopsy as a tool for identifying children dying of sickle cell disease: a validation study conducted in Kilifi district, Kenya.

Background: Sickle cell disease (SCD) is common in many parts of sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), where it is associated with high early mortality. In the absence of newborn screening, most deaths among children with SCD go unrecognized and unrecorded. As a result, SCD does not receive the attention it deserves as a leading cause of death among children in SSA.