According to a report published in the journal Medical Care, women, Hispanics and Asians wait longer than white men for organ transplants. The study was conducted by Ann Klassen and associates at the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health in Baltimore.
Researchers reviewed 7,422 patient records from the United Network for Organ Sharing/Organ Procurement Transplant Network liver waiting lists. Results of the study indicated that women had to wait an average of 110 days for a transplant, 19 days longer than men. Asian-Americans waited an average of 138 days and Hispanic-Americans waited 107, while blacks and whites waited approximately the same number of days on average.
Klassen commented, “Although it is difficult from these data to tell why some groups wait longer than others, these patterns show a trend of possible disadvantage among several minority groups, and this is a cause for concern.”
Of the 55,000 people on national organ waiting lists, approximately 11 die each day waiting for an organ.