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Minorities suffer end-stage renal disease (ESRD), a very serious and life threatening kidney disease, much more frequently than do whites. Asian Americans are three times more likely than whites to develop ESRD; Hispanics are three times as likely; and blacks are twice as likely as whites to develop ESRD. Certain diseases of the kidney, heart, lung, pancreas and liver are more common in minority communities, such as hypertension among African-Americans and diabetes among Hispanics. These diseases damage organs, often leading to the need for transplantation. Since genetic similarities are much stronger with people of the same ethnicity, transplantation works better between people of the same race. A shortage of donated organs by members of a specific minority community results in longer waiting periods and fewer transplants for those of the same ethnicity. According to the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), there are more than 80,000 persons on the national transplant waiting list.
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- Approximately 50% represent minorities:
African Americans 21,828
Hispanics/Latinos 11,888
Asians/Pacific Islanders 4,192
Other 1,769
16 persons die each day waiting for a life saving organ transplant.
- Every 16 minutes, a new name is added to the national waiting list.
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- Minorities Form More Than Half Of
Kidney Transplant Waiting List
- Source: UNOS
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