Unemployed Patients Less Likely To Gain Access To Kidney Transplant

Researchers of a new study found that unemployed patients with a failed kidney were less likely to be placed on the waiting list for a new kidney, leave alone receiving a new kidney.

Unemployment is accompanied by a lot of other problems and according to a new research, getting a new kidney can also be added to this list. Researchers from the University of New Hampshire say that unemployed patients with a failed kidney are less likely to be placed on the waiting list for a new kidney, leave alone receiving a new kidney.

"There is a strong negative association between a patient's unemployment and the likelihood of being placed on a waiting list for a kidney transplant, and once on the waiting list, the likelihood of receiving a transplant," said Robert Woodward, the Forrest D. McKerley Endowed Chair in Health Economics at the University of New Hampshire.

For the study, researchers looked at the transplant waiting list information of nearly 430,000 patients in end-stage renal disease from the U.S. Renal Data System and the United Network for Organ Sharing. They then looked at the employment status of these patients from the time they were diagnosed with end-stage renal disease till they appeared on the waiting list. Researchers found that only 54,000 of these patients made it to a waiting list and among them only 22,000 received a new kidney.

Researchers note that one of the reasons why unemployed patients don't make it to waiting lists frequently is because many hospitals take into consideration whether the patient can afford the post-transplant medical care and immunosuppressive medications while deciding on whom to put on their waiting lists.

"A lack of employment can lead to limited financial resources for the patient and subsequent inadequate medical care following the transplant. Transplant centers have found that patients with limited financial resources have higher rates of noncompliance with post-transplant medical care. Because noncompliance with post-transplant care is a leading cause of rejection, infection, and death, transplant centers may be more hesitant about providing access to transplants to those with limited financial resources," Woodward said.

According to statistics, as of last month, there are currently 96,645 patients waiting for kidney transplants. Last year, 16,812 kidney transplants took place in the U.S. Of these, 11,043 kidney transplants came from deceased donors and 5,769 came from living donors.

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