Some blood types are more common among some ethnic communities. Also, some ethnic groups are more likely to develop particular medical conditions that require donations of blood, organs, tissue or bone marrow.
Organ donations need to be matched by blood group and tissue type (for kidney transplants). Patients from the same ethnic group are more likely to be a close match.
Successful transplants are often carried out between people from different ethnic groups, but a few people with rare tissue types may only be able to receive a well-matched organ from someone of the same ethnic origin, so it’s important that people from all ethnic backgrounds register to donate organs.
For successful bone marrow transplants it is even more important to find donors with an exact tissue type match to the patient to avoid rejection. This means it is vital that people from all different ethnic backgrounds join a bone marrow registry too. Without them, patients will continue to die waiting for a suitable match.
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