Mumbai: Men with kidney failure are more likely to undergo dialysis or get a chance at a transplant than women across India, according to a new 15-year study of chronic kidney failure patients in seven states.
The study, jointly conducted by Apex Kidney Care and IIT-Bombay, paints a stark picture: two out of three dialysis patients are men, while women make up nearly three-quarters of the pool of kidney donors. Mothers make up most donors, followed by wives. Gender skew in kidney transplants is a global phenomenon, but the situation in India seems to be worse.
The research, which was presented at the recently concluded World Congress of Nephrology 2025 in Delhi, tracked over 36,000 kidney failure patients visiting 292 dialysis centres in Maharashtra, Gujarat, Delhi, Rajasthan, MP, Telangana and Goa between 2008 and 2023.
Its findings, according to Apex director Dr Viswananth Billa, underline that gender inequality exists in chronic kidney disease treatment in India. His co-author, Dr Deepa Usulumarty, said, “Our data confirms that men dominate dialysis treatments: only 33per cent of dialysis patients are women, with men making up the other 67per cent.”
Even survival rates on haemodialysis are higher among men. The analysis of nearly 20,000 patients on dialysis showed that 62per cent of the men and 61per cent of the women survived with dialysis for at least five years. “The 1per cent difference is statistically significant,” Dr Usulumarty.
When it comes to getting life-saving kidney transplants, men are clearly at the front of the line. Out of 658 transplants performed in this patient pool over 15 years, most recipients were men. “Women made up 73per cent of living kidney donors, with mothers and wives being the most common donors. Even when women needed kidneys, 58per cent of them received the organ from another woman in the family,” said Dr Jatin Kothari of Max Nanavati Hospital, Juhu.
India sees about 800 new chronic kidney disease cases per million people, with 200 of these progressing to end-stage kidney failure that needs transplants. While lifestyle factors like obesity and high blood pressure are driving these numbers up, the gender gap in treatment remains a pressing concern, said the doctors.
Incidentally, in a review published in indexed medical journal Transplantation Direct in Aug 2023, it was found that “cognitive and emotional” factors, such as altruism, are among the causes of gender disparity in living kidney donation.
The review found that 55per cent-65per cent of living donors are women. “This finding is largely consistent globally. There are many reasons for the observed inequality between men and women, but the key factors may include a higher full-time employment rate among men compared with women, men often being the primary income earner, the fear of income loss, and the lack of health insurance coverage and support during the process of living kidney donation,” it said.
The review said 14 studies involving the general population, potential kidney donors, or live donors across India, US, Sweden, Spain and Germany have shown that a higher proportion of women exhibited greater willingness, initiative and volunteerism towards living kidney donation compared with men.
