Patients waiting for kidney transplants are faced with more disparities when they come from a segregated neighborhood or transplant center, according to a new study.
Published in the medical journal JAMA Internal Medicine, the researchers from John Hopkins and the New York University Grossman School of Medicine analyzed the information of first-time candidates for transplants listed in the US National Transplant Registry.
The information spanned from patients on the list from January 1995 to December 2021. All of those involved had an average follow-up time of 1.9 years.
In their results, the researchers reported that they found significant disparities among Black patients in this cohort of 162,587 participants.
Black patients who lived in segregated neighborhoods were found to be 10% less likely to receive a kidney donation when compared to Black patients who lived in less segregated areas.
Only approximately 7.1% of Black patients living in a segregated area received a kidney transplant over three years. In comparison, overall, the average rate of Black patients in less segregated areas getting a transplant was 9%.
We are happy to share that today, Rick Slayman, our first patient to ever receive a genetically edited pig kidney transplant, has been discharged from the hospital. He is recovering well and will continue to recuperate at home with his family. pic.twitter.com/26a9f9T85N
— MassGeneral News (@MassGeneralNews) April 3, 2024
When compared to white patients in low segregated neighborhoods, Black patients had a 59% decreased chance of receiving a donation.
“Segregated residential and transplant center neighborhoods likely serve as a mechanism of structural racism, contributing to persistent racial disparities in access to LDKT,” wrote the researchers in their conclusion. “To promote equitable access, studies should assess targeted interventions (eg, community outreach clinics) to improve support for potential candidates and donors and ultimately mitigate the effects of segregation.”
The study’s findings come amidst the announcement that Rick Slayman, the first living patient to receive a genetically altered pig kidney transplant, successfully left the hospital.
Slayman, 62, first received word of the transplant last year after being diagnosed with end-stage kidney disease.
Previously, he had been on the Massachusetts General Hospital’s list for a kidney transplant for 11 years, obtaining a human kidney in 2018.
Once that kidney started showing signs of failure, he was informed that an animal-to-human donation was available.
On March 21, he completed the surgery; last Wednesday, Slayman was discharged from the hospital two weeks after the transplant.
“This moment – leaving the hospital today with one of the cleanest bills of health I’ve had in a long time – is one I wished would come for many years,” said Slayman in a newly released statement from the hospital. “Now, it’s a reality and one of the happiest moments of my life.”
