High-risk genotypes at the apolipoprotein L1 (APOL1) locus confer a 5-fold to 10-fold increased risk for CKD and end-stage kidney disease attributed to hypertension, although this risk increment is attenuated among individuals with diabetes.4,5,6 High-risk variants of APOL1 (OMIM 603743) on chromosome 22 are found in 1 of 7 people of African ancestry but are nearly absent in people of European ancestry7 because they confer resistance to trypanosomal infection and are subject to positive selection in West Africa.8,9. Here, APOL1 is linked to chronic kidney disease.