Race and Place in ESKD

Abstract

I n the current issue of the Kidney International Reports, Golestaneh et al. report higher rates of death and hospitalization among Black men receiving hemodialysis living in neighborhoods characterized by the proportion of Black residents. The authors wisely linked 2 national data sources, a recent wave of the Dialysis Outcomes Practice Patterns Study and the American Community Survey, to explore a critically important question facing those of us caring for patients with end-stage kidney disease (ESKD): how does place (i.e., the multidimensional environment in which persons or patients live, raise and educate children, work, shop, and typically receive primary and longitudinal health care) relate to outcomes among vulnerable populations receiving hemodialysis? The authors focus on Black men, who experience markedly higher rates of ESKD than nonBlack men, particularly at younger ages. The authors highlight one element of place (i.e., the proportion of Black