2011-09-15

Kidney Dialysis Not Really Helping Blacks Under 50: Study Says

Kidney problems are considered one of the major health issues facing black people worldwide. In the United States alone blacks make up close to a third of patients suffering kidney failure. According to a study from John Hopkins University, African Americans under the age of 50 fare worse on kidney dialysis than non-African American patients. This study’s findings, released in early August 2011, differ from the findings of past research.

Published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, the study analyzed data for 1.3 million patients diagnosed with kidney disease. Of these patients, young African Americans (age 18 to 30) were twice as likely to die over white patients. For African Americans age 31 to 40, the risk of dying was 1.5 times higher than white patients.

Past research, nearly 30 past studies, indicated African Americans fared better (13 to 45 percent better) than their white counterparts on kidney dialysis, so doctors have advised patients accordingly. However, this new study directly contradicts this advice. So maybe now blacks, no matter if they have a banking job or care manager jobs, will begin to think more seriously about doing kidney transplants.

In this study, researchers analyzed results by age, which showed the new surprising findings. Older African Americans fared better than their white counterparts on kidney dialysis, while younger African American patients fared much worse than their white counterparts.

The disparity also has something to do with the socioeconomic situation of young black peoples who have this disease. Many are without the necessary health insurance to even consider a transplant. So, health care costs are an important factor here.

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