Significant HLA matching effect in a large urban transplant center composed primarily of minorities

In more than 1300 deceased donor transplants, including 75% Hispanics, African-Americans, and Asians, a significant effect of mismatching (MM) was observed for zero to three MM compared to more than three MM (P < .02). There was a significantly better patient survival (P < .002), shorter hospital stay (P < .001), and a trend toward lowered immunosuppression. Zero to three MM were present in 48% of the recipient population in part due to the pre-UNOS algorithm that assigns points for zero MM and other MM grades. However, recently only zero MM receive points, therefore fewer zero to three MM recipients would be expected. The largest minority population is Hispanic. We postulated that at least part of the effect was associated with socioeconomic status and English as a second language parameters of our Hispanic population. Zero to three MM was found to decrease risk and should be used prospectively in minority donor/recipient combinations.