THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, July 29, 1994 TAG: 9407270115
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 06B EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Health Briefs
LENGTH: Short : 43 lines
Sentara Norfolk General Hospital is the local site for a National Institute of Health study that could impact the lives of African-American transplant candidates nationwide.
Of the estimated 35,000 people in this country waiting for organ transplants, 37 percent are African-American. Yet African-Americans wait 2 1/2 times longer for transplants, and a higher percentage die waiting.
``The wait (for transplants) is due mostly to the lack of African-American donors,'' said Dr. Wilma Bias, professor of medicine at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and chairperson of the study. ``Most organs going into blacks are whites', but it is more difficult and takes longer to find a good match. It's always a better match with the same race.''
The study will investigate the different tissue types, or HLA antigens, needed for successful organ and bone marrow transplants. HLA antigens are unique to a particular ethnic group, which explains the difficulty in finding good matches for minority patients.
``The goal of the study is to obtain accurate information on HLA antigen frequencies in African-Americans,'' Bias said. ``We need good data to make sure the organ allocation system meets the needs of different ethnic groups.''
Another goal of the study is to increase awareness of this problem within the African-American community, and Sentara Norfolk is encouraging more African-Americans to sign up as potential donors.
The study will be conducted among 500 African-American families across the country. Blood samples are collected from every member of families meeting the criteria - both parents are African-American. and there are at least two children 6 or older. Each blood sample is tested for HLA antigens.
Every study participant is compensated $30. Families interested in participating in the African-American tissue typing study should call 1-800-SENTARA. by CNB