Better Kidneys for Black Patients
Reported July 29, 2008
(Ivanhoe Newswire) — New research could help doctors complete more successful kidney transplants in black patients.
For unknown reasons, racial disparities exist in end-stage renal disease (ESRD) and kidney transplantation. Black patients are 2.7 times less likely to receive a kidney transplant than white counterparts and are more likely to experience kidney failure after transplantation.
Results of a new study reveal kidneys donated from black donors after cardiac death as opposed to brain death — had better long-term kidney and patient survival in black patients. Researchers report these donations provide a 70 percent reduction of kidney loss and 59 percent reduction in risk of death among black recipients, compared with standard-criteria kidneys from white donors after brain death.
“These findings suggest that kidneys obtained from black donors after cardiac death may afford the best long-term survival for black recipients,” the authors conclude.
SOURCE: Journal of the American Society of Nephrology, October 2008