Sex, Race, and Socioeconomic Disparities in Kidney Disease in Children

Racial and gender differences in the prevalence and treatment of chronic kidney disease in US children have been reported. Girls have lower rates of kidney transplantation than boys. Incidence of end-stage renal disease is twice as high among black patients compared with whites. African Americans are less likely than white patients to achieve hemoglobin targets on dialysis, are more likely to be treated with hemodialysis, and to wait longer for a transplant. Reasons for these disparities in disease burden and treatment choices are not known, but possible causes include genetic factors and socioeconomic and sociocultural influences on accessing medical care.