Does racial discrimination affect the waitlist?
No. However, it is very important that a close physiological match exist between donor and recipient. Blood type and genetic make-up can cause a transplant to be rejected. Members of different racial and ethnic groups are usually more genetically similar to members of their own group than they are to others. Currently there are disproportionately high numbers of minorities on the waitlist, because there are so few minority donors. It is important, therefore, to increase the minority donor pool so that good matches can be made as frequently as possible for minority patients.
