Evaluating kidney patients and donors without consideration of race

 Somewhere in the history of nephrology, a patient's race was included as a factor in estimating their kidney function.  This has at various times been important for various kinds of treatment, including of course preventive treatment, as well as starting dialysis, and entry and perhaps priority on kidney transplant waitlists. And it has also been important for evaluating the quality of deceased donor kidneys that can be offered for transplantation. There have been important recent changes in this, and more may be on the way. The current issue of JAMA devotes a number of articles to that, linked below.

Viewpoint Redressing the Harms of Race-Based Kidney Function Estimation Dinushika Mohottige, MD, MPH; Tanjala S. Purnell, PhD, MPH; L. Ebony Boulware, MD, MPH Audio: Race-Neutral Estimates of Kidney Function: Enhancing Equity Video: Race-Neutral Estimates of Kidney Function: Enhancing Equity Time to Abolish Metrics That Sustain Systemic Racism in Kidney Allocation John S. Gill, MD, MS; Burnett Kelly, MD, MBA; Marcello Tonelli, MD, SM Medical News & Perspectives Race-Based Equations Delayed Black Patients From Getting Onto Kidney Transplant Lists—An Unprecedented New Policy Seeks to Undo the Damage Jennifer Abbasi PREVIOUSLY PUBLISHED JAMA | Research Association of Estimated GFR Calculated Using Race-Free Equations With Kidney Failure and Mortality by Black vs Non-Black Race Orlando M. Gutiérrez, MD, MMSc; Yingying Sang, MS; Morgan E. Grams, MD, MHS, PhD; et al JAMA | Opinion Race-Free Estimation of Kidney Function: Clearing the Path Toward Kidney Health Equity L. Ebony Boulware, MD, MPH; Dinushika Mohottige, MD, MPH; Matthew L. Maciejewski, PhD JAMA Network Open | Research Association of the Estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate With vs Without a Coefficient for Race With Time to Eligibility for Kidney Transplant Leila R. Zelnick, PhD; Nicolae Leca, MD; Bessie Young, MD, MPH; et al Audio Race-Neutral Estimates of Kidney Function: Enhancing Equity Video

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