Increasing Organ Donation in the African-American Community: Altruism in the Face of an Untrustworthy System
Authors: Laura A. Siminoff
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (1999)

Editorials6 April 1999Increasing Organ Donation in the African-American Community: Altruism in the Face of an Untrustworthy SystemLaura A. Siminoff, PhD and Robert Arnold, MDLaura A. Siminoff, PhDCase Western Reserve University; Cleveland, OH 44106-4961 (Siminoff)University of Pittsburgh; Pittsburgh, PA 15213-2582 (Arnold) and Robert Arnold, MDCase Western Reserve University; Cleveland, OH 44106-4961 (Siminoff)University of Pittsburgh; Pittsburgh, PA 15213-2582 (Arnold)Author, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-130-7-199904060-00023 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail The shortage of transplantable organs hits the African-American community disproportionately hard. African-American persons are more likely to have end-stage renal disease and require kidney transplantation than Americans of other ethnic backgrounds. They are also less likely to receive donor kidneys. Although 35.6% of the 39 924 persons on the kidney transplant list are African-American, African-American persons account for only 21.9% of those who receive kidneys (1). Consequently, African-American persons wait a median of 39.7 months for kidney transplantation compared with 20.1 months for white Americans (2). This longer waiting time translates into higher morbidity and mortality for African-American persons with ...References1. UNOS 1996 1997 SR & OPTN Annual Report and Critical Data. www.unos.org/Data/. Google Scholar2. Department of Health and Human Services: Office of Inspector General. Racial and Geographic Disparity in the Distribution of Organs for Transplantation. Boston: Department of Health and Human Services; 1998. Publication no. OEI-01-98-00360. Google Scholar3. Shapiro R, McCauley J, Scantlebury V, Woods W, Irish W, McMichael J, et al . Effect of recipient race on waiting time for renal transplantation at the University of Pittsburgh. Transplant Proc. 1993;25:2458-9. MedlineGoogle Scholar4. Hartwig MS, Hall G, Hathaway D, Gaber AO. Effect of organ donor race on health team procurement efforts. Arch Surg. 1993;128:1331-5. CrossrefGoogle Scholar5. Siminoff LA, Arnold RM, Caplan AL, Virnig BA, Seltzer DL. Public policy governing organ and tissue procurement in the United States. Results from the National Organ and Tissue Procurement Study. Ann Intern Med. 1995;123:10-7. LinkGoogle Scholar6. Trollinger J, Flores J, Corkill JK, Light JA. Increasing living kidney donation in African Americans. Transplant Proc. 1997;29:3748-50. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar7. The Gallup Organization, Inc. The American Public's Attitudes toward Organ Donation and Transplantation. Boston: The Partnership for Organ Donation; 1993. Google Scholar8. National Kidney Foundation. Americans recognize organ shortage, support animal-to-human transplants, new survey says. Available at: www.kidney.org/news/animzman.shtml. Accessed 1 November 1998. Google Scholar9. The Gallup Organization, Inc. Giving and Volunteering in the United States. Findings from a National Survey Conducted for Independent Sector. Washington, DC: Independent Sector; 1998. Google Scholar10. Cohen SM, Kapsis RE. Participation of blacks, Puerto Ricans, and whites in voluntary associations: a test of current theories. Social Forces. 1978;56:1053-71. CrossrefGoogle Scholar11. Richard-Hughes S. Attitudes and beliefs of Afro-Americans related to organ and tissue donation. Int J Trauma Nurs. 1997;3:119-23. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar12. Perez LM, Schulman B, Davis F, Olson L, Tellis VA, Matas AJ. Organ donation in three major American cities with large Latino and black populations. Transplantation. 1988;46:553-7. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar13. Callender CO. Organ donation in blacks: a community approach. Transplant Proc. 1987; 19(1 Pt 2):1551-4. Google Scholar14. Callender C, Burston B, Yeager C, Miles P. A national minority transplant program for increasing donation rates. Transplant Proc. 1997;29:1482-3. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar15. Siminoff LA, Arnold RM, Caplan AL. Health care professional attitudes toward donation: effect on practice and procurement. J Trauma. 1995;39:553-9. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar16. Black-white disparities in health care. JAMA. 1990; 263:2344-6. Google Scholar17. Gamble VN. Under the shadow of Tuskegee: African Americans and health care. Am J Public Health. 1997;87:1773-8. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar18. Lee HO. Typical and atypical clinical signs and symptoms of myocardial infarction and delayed seeking of professional care among blacks. Am J Crit Care. 1997;6:7-13. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar19. Hornung CA, Eleazer GP, Strothers HS, Wieland GD, Eng C, McCann R, et al . Ethnicity and decision-makers in a group of frail older people. J Am Geriatr Soc. 1998;46:280-6. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: Case Western Reserve University; Cleveland, OH 44106-4961 (Siminoff)University of Pittsburgh; Pittsburgh, PA 15213-2582 (Arnold)Corresponding Author: Laura A. Siminoff, PhD, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, 10900 Euclid Avenue (WG-37), Cleveland, OH 44106-4961.Current Author Addresses: Dr. Siminoff: School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, 10900 Euclid Avenue (WG-37), Cleveland, OH 44106-4961.Dr. Arnold: Division of General Internal Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, 200 Lothrop Street, MUH, Suite W-919, Pittsburgh, PA 15213-2582. 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