Kidneys donated by Black Americans are more likely to be discarded due to a flawed system based on race, according to a report.
Black Americans are three times more likely to develop kidney failure than their white counterparts. While accounting for only 12 percent of the U.S. population, 35 percent of Americans with kidney failure are Black.
These statistics make Black Americans more likely to need kidney transplants. However, they are less likely to receive them.
According to CNN, kidneys from Black donors in the U.S. are more likely to be thrown away than those from other donors. This disparity reportedly stems from a flawed system that considers Black donor kidneys more likely to stop working after a transplant.
Donor kidneys are rated by the U.S. organ transplantation system, which uses an algorithm of 10 factors including donor’s age, height, weight and history of hypertension, diabetes, and race.
Research has shown that kidneys donated by Black people are more likely to stop working sooner after a transplant, so the algorithm has downgraded their quality. This factor has led to Black donor kidneys being discarded at a higher rate than other races.
As a result, experts say that some good kidneys could be wasted.
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