Ethnic differences in kidney graft survival

Results of 73 first cadaveric donor renal transplants in Jerusalem between 1975 and 1980 are presented. There was a better 12-month graft survival in Arabs than in Jews (70.8% vs. 40.8%, P less than 0.035); however, 12-month patient survival was similar (83.3% vs. 85.7%). Acute rejection as the primary cause of graft loss occurred in 12.5% of the Arabs and 38.8% of the Jews (P less than 0.05). HLA-A, -B and -DR antigen-sharing was similar in both groups. Early acute rejection episodes had a poorer prognosis in Jews. Possible explanations for these findings are discussed, but the reason for the higher success rate in Arabs remains obscure.