Access to getting a kidney transplant or early treatment for chronic kidney disease (CKD) is affected by the race and insurance status of the patient and only universal access to health care may overcome the disparities, according to two new studies published in the March issue of the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.

In one of the two studies, Douglas Keith, MD, of McGill University in Montreal, Canada, and colleagues analyzed data on nearly 76,000 US patients wait-listed for a kidney transplant between 2001 and 2004. Their goal was to identify factors affecting time on dialysis before being placed on the waiting list for getting a transplant.

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