Why should minorities be concerned about organ donation?
The need for transplants is high among minorities, particularly African Americans. Some diseases of the kidney, heart, lung, pancreas, and liver that can lead to organ failure are found more frequently in minority women. The rate of organ donation from minority women does not keep pace with the number needing transplants. Although minority women donate, in part, to their share of the population, their need for transplants is greater. Matching donor organs to likely recipients requires genetic similarity. In most cases, people are more similar to people of their own race than to people of other races. Minority women may have to wait longer for matched organs and therefore may be sicker at the time of transplant or die waiting. With more donated organs from this group, finding a match will be quicker and the waiting time will be cut, and more lives will be saved.
The need for transplants is high among minorities, particularly African Americans. • Some diseases of the kidney, heart, lung, pancreas, and liver that can lead to organ failure are found more frequently in minority women. • The rate of organ donation from minority women does not keep pace with the number needing transplants. Although minority women donate, in part, to their share of the population, their need for transplants is greater. • Matching donor organs to likely recipients requires genetic similarity. In most cases, people are more similar to people of their own race than to people of other races. • Minority women may have to wait longer for matched organs and therefore may be sicker at the time of transplant or die waiting. With more donated organs from this group, finding a match will be quicker and the waiting time will be cut, and more lives will be saved.
Some diseases of the kidney, heart, lung, pancreas, and liver are found more frequently in racial and ethnic minority populations than in the general population. For example, African Americans, Asian and Pacific Islanders, and Hispanics are three times more likely to suffer from end-stage renal disease than Whites. Native Americans are four times more likely than Whites to suffer from diabetes. Some of these diseases are best treated through transplantation; others can only be treated through transplantation.Successful transplantation often is enhanced by the matching of organs between members of the same ethnic and racial group. For example, any patient is less likely to reject a kidney if it is donated by an individual who is genetically similar. Generally, people are genetically more similar to people of their own ethnicity or race than to people of other races.
