A flawed blood test that disadvantaged Black kidney patients has been corrected, leading to thousands of African Americans moving up on transplant waiting lists across the United States. In Illinois alone, 1,200 Black patients awaiting kidney transplants are affected by this change.
The eGFR blood test, which assesses kidney function, previously factored in race, often placing African Americans in a healthier status and further down the waitlist. A task force comprising the American Society of Nephrology and the National Kidney Foundation determined this method was flawed and recommended removing race from the equation.
Helena Fields, a suburban special education teacher, benefited from this change. After six years on the waitlist, she received a kidney transplant. “Yes, I was ecstatic,” Fields said. However, she expressed mixed feelings about the situation, stating, “I was just shocked really… it was very annoying to know that this exists.”
Monica Fox, Senior Director for Outreach at the National Kidney Foundation of Illinois, noted that many patients were unaware of the racial factor in the test. “People do think, ‘is this real?'” Fox said. “Many people didn’t know it existed.”
The change has resulted in over 14,000 African American patients nationwide moving up on transplant lists. While this correction addresses a significant health disparity, it also highlights the need for continued efforts to eliminate racial inequalities in healthcare.
Fields emphasized, “I think we need to work more on trying to fix these inequalities and just consider us as one human race, especially when it comes to health care.”
See “Black patients move up kidney transplant waitlist in Illinois after race removed from blood test” (August 1, 2024)
