The American Journal of Medicine
Volume 117, Issue 9 , Pages 670-675, 1 November 2004

The net transfer of transplant organs across race, sex, age, and income

  • Ashwini R. Sehgal, MD

      Affiliations

    • Center for Reducing Health Disparities, Center for Health Care Research and Policy, Division of Nephrology, Departments of Medicine, Epidemiology and Biostatistics, and Biomedical Ethics, MetroHealth Medical Center, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio
    • Corresponding Author InformationRequests for reprints should be addressed to Ashwini R. Sehgal, MD, Center for Reducing Health Disparities, 2500 MetroHealth Drive, MetroHealth Medical Center, Cleveland, Ohio 44109

Received 15 December 2003; accepted 20 May 2004.

Purpose

To determine how sociodemographic characteristics influence both access to transplantation and organ donation.

Methods

For all transplants in the United States from 1996 to 2001, donor-recipient pairs were categorized as white-white, white-black, black-white, or black-black. The difference in the percentage of white-black versus black-white pairs was calculated as a measure of the net transfer of organs from one racial group to another. A similar approach was used to examine the net transfer of organs across other sociodemographic categories.

Results

Among cadaveric renal transplants, 66% of donor-recipient pairs were white-white, 23% were white-black, 5% were black-white, and 6% were black-black. Thus, there was an 18% net transfer of organs from white donors to black recipients (23% minus 5%). Among living donor transplants involving spouses, there was a 36% net transfer from wives to husbands. Among all cadaveric transplants, there was a 36% to 68% net transfer from younger donors to older recipients. Among cadaveric nonrenal transplants, there was a 7% to 18% net transfer from lower-income donors to higher-income recipients.

Conclusion

The sociodemographic characteristics of persons who donate organs and those who benefit from organ transplantation differ markedly. Efforts to improve access and increase donation should address these differences.

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 Supported by grant DK51472 from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, Bethesda, Maryland. The data reported here have been supplied by the University Renal Research and Education Association as the contractor for the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients (SRTR). The interpretation and reporting of these data are the responsibility of the author and in no way should be seen as an official policy of or interpretation by the SRTR or the U.S. government.

PII: S0002-9343(04)00527-3

doi:10.1016/j.amjmed.2004.05.025

The American Journal of Medicine
Volume 117, Issue 9 , Pages 670-675, 1 November 2004

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