A recent study published in The Lancet Regional Health-Americas has shed light on the ongoing ethnic and racial inequalities in kidney transplantation across the United States. Despite efforts to address these disparities over the past two decades, including the implementation of the 2014 Kidney Allocation System, significant gaps remain in the transplant care continuum.
The comprehensive analysis, which examined data from 2015 to 2020, revealed that while minoritized patients are now more likely to receive information about kidney transplantation, they still face substantial barriers to undergoing the procedure. Asians, for instance, showed an 18% higher probability of being listed for transplantation but were 44% less likely to receive a kidney compared to their White counterparts.
Black and Hispanic patients faced even greater challenges, with both groups experiencing lower rates of listing (13% and 14% respectively) and significantly reduced access to transplantation (39% and 36% respectively) compared to White patients. The study highlighted that the most pronounced inequalities were observed in live donor kidney transplantation, with five-year cumulative incidence rates varying dramatically across racial groups.
Dr. Maya N. Clark-Cutaia, lead researcher of the study, emphasized the critical need for personalized interventions to address the unique obstacles encountered by each ethnic and racial group throughout the transplant care process. The findings underscore the importance of developing targeted strategies to improve equitable access to kidney transplants.
As the medical community grapples with these persistent disparities, future research must focus on identifying minority-specific challenges, evaluating patient-provider interactions, and implementing race-specific interventions at crucial stages of kidney transplant care to ensure more equitable outcomes for all patients.
“Identifying when racial and ethnic disparities arise along the continuum of transplant care: a national registry study,” The Lancet Regional Health-Americas, October 9, 2024.
