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Racial disparities in kidney transplantation access are highest among young adults

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In a retrospective study of adults initiating kidney failure treatment during 2011-2018, disparities in kidney transplantation by race were highest among patients age 22-44 years of age. Within this age group, kidney failure was treated by kidney transplantation among 10.9% of white patients but only 1.8% of Black and 4.4% of Hispanic patients.

In a retrospective study of adults initiating kidney failure treatment during 2011-2018, disparities in kidney transplantation by race were highest among patients age 22-44 years of age. Within this age group, kidney failure was treated by kidney transplantation among 10.9% of white patients but only 1.8% of Black and 4.4% of Hispanic patients. Read more.

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Getting listed for a kidney transplant

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The process of getting listed for a kidney transplant often begins when your doctor refers you for the transplant surgery. But, you do not have to be referred by a doctor. You are free to visit a transplant center to be evaluated if you are interested in transplant.

You can only be ready for a kidney transplant after you have passed the required evaluation at a transplant center that looks at your physical health, mental health, and finances. If you pass this evaluation and the transplant team decides you are ready for transplant, you will be added to the national waiting list. Read the complete article here.

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Kidney Transplantation Not Linked to Higher Prostate Cancer Mortality

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Men with end-stage kidney disease and prostate cancer (PCa) are not more likely to die from the malignancy if they receive a kidney transplant (KT) compared with undergoing dialysis, data presented at the virtual 2021 American Transplant Congress suggest.

Using Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER)-Medicare registry 2004-2015 data, Nagaraju Sarabu, MD, of University Hospital Cleveland Medical Center in Cleveland, Ohio, and colleagues conducted a retrospective study of 1959 men diagnosed with PCa following a diagnosis of end-stage kidney disease: 1478 on dialysis and 481 with a functioning kidney transplant.

In adjusted analyses, KT recipients had a significant 45% reduced risk for overall mortality compared with dialysis patients, but the groups did not differ significantly with regard to PCa-specific mortality, Dr Sarabu’s team reported.

Read full article, here.

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SCD Kidney Transplantation vs Dialysis Ups Survival in Older Patients

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“Patients aged 65 years or older on a waiting list for a kidney transplant may be better off waiting for a kidney from a standard criteria donor (SCD) than accepting one from an expanded criteria donor (ECD), according to recent study.

“The acceptance of an ECD transplant should be carefully balanced against the risks of continued dialysis while waiting for a better donor offer,” investigators Rachel Hellemans, MD, of Antwerp University Hospital in Edegem, Belgium, and colleagues wrote in Nephrology Dialysis Transplantation.

The study included 3808 adult Belgian patients, of whom 3382 received a kidney transplant and 426 were waitlisted and remained on dialysis. The investigators divided patients into 3 age groups: 22 to 44 (1006 patients), 45 to 64 (2213 patients), and 65 years or older (589 patients). The median waiting time on the active waiting list for transplantation while on dialysis was longest for patients aged 22 to 44 years (22.4 months, followed by 18 months for those aged 45 to 64 years, and 11.7 months for those aged 65 years or older.”

Read the full article, here.

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Alexandra Harrison-Flaxman—How a Transplant Recipient Became a Legislation Advocate

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“The passage of the Immuno Bill is not just a win for the patient community …” says Alexandra Harrison-Flaxman “… it’s a win because of the patient community.”

On December 22, 2020, the U.S. Senate passed S. 3353 – Comprehensive Immunosuppressive Drug Coverage for Kidney Transplants Patients Act of 2020 (The Immuno Bill).

Earlier, on December 8, 2020, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 5534, which set up the Senate vote.

The bi-partisan passage of the Immuno Bill now awaits the President’s signature.

Getting the bill passed has been Alexandra’s (“Alex’s”) passion for several years now and she says she cried when watching both the House and Senate pass the legislation.

“I was thinking, ‘This is crazy,’ I’ve just been a part of enacting actual change for kidney-transplant recipients,” says Alex, 34.

Read Alexandra’s full story, here.

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NKF: Patients with kidney disease should be prioritized for COVID-19 vaccines

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“The National Kidney Foundation has released a statement urging the federal government to grant priority to patients with kidney disease and their contacts for receipt of COVID-19 vaccines.

According to the statement, it is a matter of “ethical allocation,” because this patient population is at high risk for severe outcomes if they contract the virus.”

Read the full article, here.

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Screen Kidney Transplant Patients for Fabry, Study Recommends

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“A genetic screening study found a higher-than-expected prevalence of undiagnosed Fabry disease in people who had kidney failure and transplant without a known cause.

When the screening was extended to related family members, additional unidentified cases were found and treated early. 

The findings led researchers to recommend genetic screening for kidney transplant patients, particularly those with an unknown cause.” 

Read more about the study, here.

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