A trend analysis of organ transplantation among ethnic groups

This research provides public policy implications regarding organ resource allocation and increases public awareness of the current status of transplant use in various ethnic populations.

Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP), National Inpatient Sample (NIS) data were used to obtain a yearly estimate of the number of organ transplants by organ and by ethnic origin for 1988-1997. ICD-9-CM codes identified lung, heart, liver, and kidney organ-transplantation procedures. Each record in the sample was weighted by its respective discharge weight in order to extrapolate a national estimate. To assess whether there are significant differences among ethnic groups in organ transplantation rates over time, regression models were estimated for heart, liver, and kidney transplants. Transplantation rates were modeled as a function of time, ethnic origin, and interaction variables.

Examination of time trend graphs and regression analyses indicates that transplantation rates have not varied substantially across ethnic groups between 1988 and 1997. Rates for all groups, with the exception of Asians, exhibited similar time trends with little systematic variation.

Further research is needed to determine whether variations exist due to organ availability versus prevalence of the disease.