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A racially biased kidney function test used since the 1990s negatively impacted countless Black patients seeking transplants. The test, used nationwide, underestimated kidney damage in Black patients, placing them lower on transplant waiting lists. This injustice has recently come to light, and thousands of patients have been moved up the list after the flawed calculations were discovered.
Dr. Edmund Pribitkin, a professor at Thomas Jefferson University, explained that historical biases in the medical system have disadvantaged Black transplant candidates. He noted how the flawed calculations pushed these individuals to the bottom of transplant lists.
This was the case for Jazmin Evans of Philadelphia. Diagnosed with kidney failure in 2019, Evans learned her glomerular filtration rate (GFR), a measure of kidney function, was very low.
She prepared for dialysis and sought a kidney transplant. Evans learned the wait in Philadelphia could be six to eight years. She then discovered the racially biased formula used in her GFR calculation.
Evans expressed outrage, recognizing the systemic racism within the medical system. She also mourned for those who may have died waiting due to the flawed test.
The National Kidney Foundation reports Black Americans are over three times more likely to experience kidney failure than white Americans. About 30% of the approximately 90,000 people on the kidney transplant waiting list are Black.
In June 2022, the biased metric was finally removed. Hospitals were ordered to re-evaluate Black patients on waiting lists. By mid-March 2023, over 14,300 Black patients had their wait times adjusted, gaining an average of two years.
Evans received a letter informing her that her wait time was adjusted. She gained three and a half years, effectively placing her on the list in 2015 instead of 2019.
In July 2023, Evans received the call she had long awaited. She received a kidney from a deceased donor, and the transplant was a success. Evans happily reports that she and her new kidney are thriving.