UCLA

Kidney transplantation is a possibly life-saving and preferred method to treat chronic kidney disease, which affects more than 1 in 7 United States adults. Kidney exchange programs are one popular method to address difficulties of compatibility where recipients with incompatible, but willing donors swap to each receive a compatible kidney donation. This grants each patient the opportunity for the life-saving procedure. This thesis explores whether patients of varying socio-demographics experience different rates of kidney exchange. In this paper, data is used from the United Network of Organ Sharing to analyze the odds of receiving a kidney transplantation and to understand how waiting times vary across diverse groups. Using logistic regression and Poisson regression, we found significant differences in the odds of kidney exchange and waiting times across races, blood groups, and education levels.