DATE: September 20, 2024

By Caroline Catherman
Healthcare Brew

Kidneys are currently the most needed organ in the country, and an ongoing crisis has left tens of thousands in limbo.

As of September, nearly 90,000 people in the US are waiting for kidneys, but only around 27,000 transplants were performed in 2024, according to data from the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN). That makes for a grim reality: One out of every 20 people on the waiting list die every year, the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) estimates.

Kidney failure, most often caused by chronic conditions like diabetes or high blood pressure, can only be treated with dialysis or a transplant, according to the National Kidney Foundation. A 2020 review of 11 studies found transplants are generally cheaper and more effective than dialysis, while a 2010 review found transplants also improve quality of life.

But a cocktail of issues often delay the surgical procedures. High out-of-pocket costs and lengthy testing requirements, for example, deter donors, experts say.

That leaves scientists, policymakers, and other experts scrambling to find a solution.

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