Donor-recipient relationships in African American vs. Caucasian live kidney donors

The purpose of the study was to characterize differences in donor and recipient relationships between African American (AA) and Caucasian living kidney donors.

Data from all successful living kidney donors at a single institution between 1991 and 2009 were reviewed. Relationships between donor and recipient were categorized and between-group comparisons performed.

The study sample consisted of 73 (18%) AA and 324 Caucasian living kidney donors. The distribution of donor-recipient relationships differed significantly between AA and Caucasians. AA donors were more likely to be related to the recipient (88% vs. 74%, p = 0.007) than Caucasians. AA donors were more likely to participate in child to parent donation and were less likely to participate in parent to child donation or to donate to unrelated individuals. Sibling and spousal donations were similar in both groups. Caucasian donors were more likely to be unrelated to the recipient than AA donors.

Differences exist in donor-recipient relationships between AA and Caucasian living kidney donors. Future studies exploring cultural differences and family dynamics may provide targeted recruitment strategies for AA and Caucasian living kidney donors. Living unrelated kidney transplantation appears to be a potential growth area for living kidney donation in AA.