How are women and people of color affected by organ transplants?
People are biologically different and those differences can have significant effects on the risk for certain diseases and the need for, access to, and outcome of transplantation. Autoimmune diseases, such as systemic lupus erythematosus, which can lead to end-stage organ failure, are six times more common in women than in men. Other diseases of the kidney, heart, lung, pancreas and liver are found more frequently in racial and ethnic minority populations than in the general population. For example, end-stage renal disease is four times greater in African-Americans than in whites, mainly because of higher rates of high blood pressure and autoimmune disease. Asian Pacific Islanders and Hispanics are three times more likely to suffer from end-stage renal disease. End-stage renal disease is increasing rapidly among Native Americans because of a significant growth in the new cases of diabetes. Native Americans also are four times more likely to suffer from diabetes than are whites. Some of
