Racial Equity in Renal Transplantation

KIDNEY transplantation from either a living related or cadaveric donor is optimal treatment for most patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD).¹However, due to a critical shortage of organ donors, while more than 23 000 Americans await a suitable cadaveric kidney, fewer than 8000 receive transplants each year.²,³Approximately one third of ESRD patients in this country are African American (black), a proportion threefold greater than the representation of this racial group in the general population (12%).¹Recently, the Inspector General reported that blacks are less likely than whites to receive a transplant, with almost double the waiting time.⁴Currently, cadaveric kidneys are allocated according to a federally mandated system based on quality of HLA matching. This policy is based on evidence that antigenic similarity between donor and recipient may enhance cadaveric graft survival and should be the primary factor influencing distribution.⁵Gjertson and colleagues