Race and liver transplantation

Studies on kidney transplantation have arrived at disparate conclusions on the effects of race. Some studies have found that blacks tend to have less graft survival, while others have found survival comparable to that of white patients. A study was conducted to determine whether the race of a liver transplant patient has any effect on that case outcome. In a review of 358 liver transplantation procedures, it was found that there was no significant difference between white and black patients in terms of overall survival. The one- and three-year survival rates for black patients were 89.6 percent and 68.3 percent, respectively. Among white patients, the survival for the same intervals was 86 and 78.6 percent. This survival rate for blacks is striking, since the study also found that black patients tended, in fact, to be significantly sicker at the time of the operation. Black patients had significantly higher priority scores for surgery and a significantly higher rate of acute or fulminant (rapidly developing) liver disease. One very significant difference between whites and blacks, however, is in the overall rate of liver transplantations. About 12 percent of the US population is black, but only 6 percent of liver transplant recipients were blacks. This suggests that access to life-saving technology is not equal among all Americans. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)