New standards look to eliminate disparities in organ transplant system
TAMPA Fla. (WFLA) — New standards being implemented nationwide aim to make it easier for minority patients to receive lifesaving organ transplants.
African American patients have historically been less likely to be put on the organ transplant waiting list, despite being three times more likely to face kidney failure compared to white patients. When Black patients did make the list, they typically faced longer wait times.
That’s because for decades many transplant centers used a formula that included a race variable to determine a patient’s eligibility for a transplant. The formula estimates kidney function based in part on a person’s ethnicity and body composition.
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But it’s now thought those formulas overestimated kidney function for most Black patients by as much as 16%. That meant transplants were deemed unnecessary for some patients who needed immediate help.
“Over 300 years of waiting time was added to the patients on our waiting list,” said Dr. Anthony Watkins, the director of Tampa General Hospital’s Kidney & Pancreas Transplant Program. “We had one patient receive eight and a half years of wait time, and to put that in perspective, patients don’t typically wait five years for transplant. So this patient would have been transplanted years ago.”
Now a new race-neutral formula is being implemented at transplant centers across the country. The new standard, eliminating the race variable, was recently approved by the Organ Procurement & Transplantation Network.
Experts believe the new rule will broaden access to transplants for many minority patients. However, doctors stress there is still more work to be done to educate patients on how to prevent health issues that lead to kidney failure. High rates of diabetes and hypertension are among the reasons African American and Hispanic patients face a greater risk of developing kidney disease.
Doctors say it’s vital to be aware of any family history of kidney disease.
“This should be a flag that makes you understand that you’re at a higher risk and you need to make sure your physician is aware of that,” Watkins said.
It’s estimated black patients make up about one-third of the more than 90,000 people waiting on a kidney transplant. Doctors are hopeful the new guidelines will encourage more people, especially people of color, to consider becoming organ donors.
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