Living kidney donor relationship in Caucasian and African American populations and implications for targeted donor...

The opportunities for living kidney donation vary greatly among socioeconomic and racial groups. We reviewed our series of living donors to evaluate donor relationships in various groups.

Donor and recipient records for 1000 patients were reviewed. An additional 857 records of potential recipients presenting with a donor were analyzed. We compared the relationship of the recipient to initial donor and individual who underwent nephrectomy.

There were 693 CC and 263 AA live kidney donors. In the AA population donors were first-degree 71%, second-degree 10%, and unrelated 19%. In the CC population donors were first-degree 57%, second-degree 6%, and unrelated 37% (p < 0.0001 for unrelated CC vs. AA). Spousal donation is more common in CC donors (13%) than AA donors (6%), p = 0.001. Donation from child to parent is more common in AA (33%) than CC donors (15%), p < 0.0001. AA recipients predominantly identified a child as a donor in 63% and 48% were cleared for donation. In contrast, 69% of CC recipients identified a spouse as a donor yet only 23% became donors, p < 0.001 and p < 0.001.

There is a higher incidence of unrelated donors in the caucasian population, vs. first degree relatives often being living donors in the AA population.