| News From Transplant Week of Sept 29, 2002 / Vol. 3 No. 39 |
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Study: High Sensitization Rate Adds to Transplant Waiting Time for Blacks |
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A new study has confirmed that a major reason why African Americans kidney transplants generally have to wait longer for a kidney transplant than Caucasians is that they have a higher immune sensitization rate, making it more difficult to find a suitable donor. Researchers reported at the American Society of Minority Health and Transplant Professionals annual meeting that a study of transplant candidates added to the kidney waiting list between 1999 and 2001 showed that African Americans had a higher sensitization rate, as measured by percent Panel Reactive Antibody (PRA). The PRA reflects the percentage of the general population that a potential recipient makes antibodies (is sensitized) against. The higher the PRA, the more sensitized a patient is to the general donor pool. "The data showed that African Americans had a higher sensitization rate than Caucasians in all analyses, whether stratified by gender, previous transfusions, or whether they were waiting for a first or repeat transplant," the researchers reported. The researchers
concluded that African Americans tend to be more sensitized than
Caucasians, and that this contributes to the longer waiting times
they face for kidney transplants. Other
sources: United Network for Organ Sharing
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