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Abnormal blood proteins were common in Black Soweto adults

Screening detected two forms of the condition in 12% and 3% of participants; prevalence was similar to or higher than in high-risk US groups.

Paper by David J. Lee, Wenlong Carl Chen, Luca Bertamini, Show 22 more authorsCatherine R. Marinac
Fig. 1. Univariable and multivariable analyses evaluating the association of sociodemographic factors and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) with monoclonal gammopathies.
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Fig. 1. Univariable and multivariable analyses evaluating the association of sociodemographic factors and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) with monoclonal…Univariable and multivariable analyses evaluating the association of sociodemographic factors and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) with monoclonal gammopathies.Lee et al.
Cross-sectional study of 2,004 Black adults in Soweto, South AfricaPopulations

Limit: Convenience sampling may leave community-site participants unrepresentative of Soweto adults

Stake: Authors founded Predicta Biosciences, hold shares in it and sit on its board. An author holds shares in Antares Therapeutics.

Paper
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In a cross-sectional study, researchers screened 2,004 Black Africans aged 40–75 in Soweto, South Africa, at a single visit. They tested blood using mass spectrometry, a technique for identifying molecules. They looked for monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS), a condition involving abnormal antibody proteins in the blood.

The heavy-chain form affected 12% of participants, and the light-chain form affected 3%. Heavy and light chains are the larger and smaller protein components of antibodies. MGUS prevalence was similar to or higher than in high-risk US groups screened by the same method. Human immunodeficiency virus infection and smoking were associated with higher odds of MGUS. High physical activity was associated with lower odds.

Why it matters

Screening for MGUS in midlife and later life raises questions about which groups to prioritise for early detection and risk assessment.

Caveats

The single-visit, cross-sectional design could not determine whether the associated factors caused MGUS or preceded it. The South African sample covered Black Africans aged 40–75 in Soweto, not other age groups or populations.

From the paper

Participants

Non-Black individuals with a positive family history in the US (non-Black US with positive FH) comprised 3807 participants.

Results, International comparisons of high-risk cohorts

Result

In a multivariable model mutually adjusted for sociodemographic variables (age, sex, education, poverty, ethnic/linguistic group) and HIV status among Black Africans, each 10-year increase in age was associated with 22% higher odds of MGUS (OR, 1.22; 95% CI, 1.04–1.43; p = 0.01) ( B).

Results, PROMISE ZA

Limitation

The lack of harmonised exposure data (HIV, smoking, alcohol, physical activity) in a subset of the international comparison cohorts, particularly from MGBB, limit cross-population comparability of the observed associations.

Discussion

Quoted word for word from the full text on PubMed Central.

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