Kids' Kidney Transplant Rules May Have Shrunk 'Race Gap'

US News and World Report


Before 'Share 35,' black and Hispanic patients were less likely to receive organ than whites, researchers say.

THURSDAY, April 26 (HealthDay News) -- Racial disparities in kidney transplants for U.S. children have fallen since a new policy was introduced in 2005 by the United Network for Organ Sharing, researchers say.

The policy, called Share 35, preferentially offers kidneys from deceased donors younger than age 35 to children who need a kidney transplant. While a kidney from a living donor is preferable, a kidney from a deceased donor can save a child's life.

In the past, black and Hispanic children with kidney failure were less likely to receive a kidney transplant than white children, the study authors noted.

In the new study, Dr. Sandra Amaral of The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and colleagues looked at nearly 2,300 children with kidney failure who received a transplant before Share 35 and more than 2,400 who received a transplant after the introduction of the new policy.

Overall, children with kidney failure were 46 percent more likely to receive a deceased-donor kidney transplant after Share 35 was implemented, with increases of 81 percent for Hispanics, 45 percent for blacks, and 37 percent for whites.
Read more: http://health.usnews.com/health-news/news/articles/2012/04/26/kids-kidney-transplant-rules-may-have-shrunk-race-gap

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