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The Nairobian

Study to help predict, address heart problems in the elderly

Health & Science

By Mactilda Mbenywe | Dec 21, 2024

A Kenyan researcher’s work may help doctors pinpoint and address age-related heart problems before they become severe.

Her research aims to uncover how the heart’s electrical system changes with age. Such insights could enable doctors to identify risks early, offer personalised treatments, and improve quality of life for older patients.

Victoria Ngugi, a doctoral student in Biological Sciences at the University of Leeds, studies how aging alters the heart’s conduction system.

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The conduction system is the network of specialised cells that generates electrical signals to regulate heartbeat. With age, these signals may weaken or become irregular. This can cause irregular heartbeats and other cardiac issues.

Globally, heart disease remains the top cause of death, responsible for around 17.9 million deaths each year, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO). The burden is rising as populations age.

In Africa, heart disease is often overshadowed by infectious diseases, Yet the continent is experiencing a growing number of non-communicable diseases, including cardiovascular conditions.

The WHO reports that deaths from non-communicable diseases, including heart problems, are steadily rising in sub-Saharan Africa.

As life expectancy increases, understanding how aging affects the heart becomes more urgent.

“My goal is to predict structural and electrical changes in different individuals. This will enable personalised treatment plans at an earlier stage,” Ngugi said.

She aims to use computational simulation and lab-based models to study how aging remodels the heart’s conduction system.

By modeling these changes, she hopes to support development of therapies that prevent or reverse harmful alterations in the heart. Her project is still in early stages. She arrived in the UK recently and is setting up the groundwork for her experiments. She is using animal models and computational tools to understand the underlying mechanisms.

Over time, she expects to produce data that helps doctors intervene before patients develop severe complications.

“We want to understand the structural lesions that occur as one ages, and how they correlate with electrical changes. If we know the exact points at which conduction slows down or fails, we could guide targeted therapies,” she explained.

Ngugi’s research is not about delivering a cure tomorrow. It is about building the knowledge to guide clinical decisions. Doctors currently rely on standard tests and sometimes face uncertainty.

Aging hearts differ greatly from person to person. By clarifying how aging affects conduction, doctors could better predict who might develop arrhythmias and other disorders. Targeted therapies, such as ablation or medications, would then be used more efficiently.

She anticipates unexpected findings and data that may not match initial assumptions.

She plans to handle these challenges through careful validation. If results differ from predictions, she will re-check the placement of electrodes in lab tests or confirm measurements through repeated assays. “Contradictions do not mean that we are wrong. They might mean we need to think differently,” she said.

**The WHO reports that deaths from non-communicable diseases, including heart problems, are steadily rising in sub-Saharan Africa.** [iStockphoto}

Ngugi previously taught at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT). She also founded a community-based organisation focusing on heart health. This foundation, still in early stages, screens people for cardiovascular risk factors. In many African communities, screening for heart disease risk is uncommon.

Patients often seek care only after severe symptoms appear. By that time, management is more difficult and costly.

The inspiration for her outreach came from clinical experiences in Murang’a County. She saw patients arrive at hospitals in advanced stages of heart failure or with poorly controlled hypertension.

She realised that earlier detection could prevent many complications. “We need to identify people at risk early,” she said, adding; “If we know the risk, we can intervene before heart failure sets.”

Securing resources is key. Running sophisticated lab analyses and building reliable models costs money. She hopes that her recent recognition in the prestigious UNESCO-L’Oréal For Women in Science Award — will help.

Though she declined to name the award amount, she says it will cover at least one more important laboratory assay. More importantly, it boosts her confidence. “This award shows me that my work matters. It makes me believe that I can contribute to scientific advancements while advocating for gender equality,” she said.

Being a woman in science comes with unique challenges. “Being a woman in science means breaking barriers and inspiring future generations,” Ngugi said.

She credits mentors for providing the support and guidance necessary to reach this level. She now hopes to act as a mentor to others—both in the laboratory and in the community. “The burden of cardiovascular disease in Africa is high. Many people do not know they have risk factors until it’s too late. Screening and education can save lives,” she said.

Her foundation conducts community screenings in central Kenya counties, measures blood pressure and other risk indicators, and helps people understand their health. She collaborates with local leaders and medical personnel to ensure continuity of care.

Such initiatives face practical challenges. Healthcare infrastructure in many parts of Africa is limited. Advanced diagnostic tools and specialised tests are often scarce.

Ngugi hopes that as her research advances, the models she develops will become simpler and more accessible. She envisions a future where even resource-limited settings can benefit from predictive tools that inform patient management.