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Organ Donation and Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders

Health statistics for Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders are limited, and patients can be categorized with all Asian Americans, leading to numbers that often do not portray existing health disparities for this population. In 2019, Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders (NHPI) alone made up 0.2 percent of the national population.

  • The number of organ transplants performed on Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders in 2020 was about 25 percent of the number of Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders currently waiting for a transplant. The number of transplants performed on whites was 48.8 percent of the number currently waiting.
  • While 0.6 percent of the total candidates currently waiting for transplants are Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders, they comprised 0.3 percent of organ donors in 2020.
  • The number of organs recovered in 2020 from deceased Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander donors was almost twice the number of living Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander donors.
  • Native Hawaiians are more likely than whites living in Hawaii to be diagnosed with diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders have higher obesity rates and are seven times more likely to be diagnosed with chronic liver disease, as compared to whites. These conditions are known to put patients at risk for organ failures.

 

U.S. Transplant Waiting List – Candidates by Race/Ethnicity
Organ All Candidates # of NHPI Candidates NHPI % of All Candidates # of White Candidates White % of All Candidates
All Organs 106,666 608 0.6 43,054 40.4
Kidney 90,235 568 0.6 32,377 35.9
Liver 11,704 29 0.2 7,865 67.2
Heart 3,531 7 0.2 2,004 56.8
Lung 922 1 0.2 661 66.6

Source: HRSA. U.S. Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN). Based on OPTN data as of August 23, 2021.
https://optn.transplant.hrsa.gov/data/view-data-reports/national-data/*

 

Transplants Performed in the U.S. by Recipient Ethnicity, 2020
  Number Percentage of Total 2020 Transplants
Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander 152 0.4
White 20,997 53.8
Total Transplants 39,036 100

Source: HRSA. U.S. Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN). Based on OPTN data as of August 23, 2021.
https://optn.transplant.hrsa.gov/data/view-data-reports/national-data/

 

U.S. Organ Donors Recovered, 2020
Donor Type # of All Donors # of NHPI Donors % of All NHPI Donors # of White Donors % of All White Donors
Living 5,729 18 0.3 4,129 72.1
Deceased 12,588 35 0.3 8,249 65.5
Total 18,317 53 0.3 12,378 67.6

Source: HRSA. U.S. Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN). Based on OPTN data as of August 23, 2021.
https://optn.transplant.hrsa.gov/data/view-data-reports/national-data/

 

U.S. Organ Donors Recovered, 2020
Donor Type # of NHPI Donors % of All NHPI Donors # of White Donors % of All White Donors
Living 18 34.0 4,129 33.4
Deceased 35 66.4 8,249 66.6
Total 53 100 12,378 100

Source: HRSA. U.S. Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN). Based on OPTN data as of August 23, 2021.
https://optn.transplant.hrsa.gov/data/view-data-reports/national-data/

 

*OPTN data is updated monthly online. The data and statistics for this section will be updated annually.
Last Modified: 8/26/2021 5:09:00 PM

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