In addition to pleiotropic associations of APOL1 risk alleles with human African trypanosomiasis, kidney disease, cardiovascular disease, and preeclampsia, carriage of APOL1 risk alleles was unexpectedly found to be associated with an elevated risk of sepsis in a study of older, community-dwelling black participants enrolled in the REGARDS (reasons for geographic and racial differences in stoke)23. This evidence concerns the gene APOL1 and cardiovascular disorder.