Gender Mainstreaming and Transplant Surgery.

BACKGROUND: Gender differences in medicine are gaining in importance. In transplant surgery, not only the patient's gender but also that of the donor play an important role in the outcome of transplantation due to sociocultural and genetic factors.

METHODS: This review article gives an overview of the latest investigations into gender-related influences in the field of visceral transplantation. For this purpose, a systematic review of the literature was performed.

RESULTS: In general, women are less often evaluated for and subjected to transplantation worldwide. Significantly poorer outcome can be observed in women with liver transplantation following hepatitis C cirrhosis. Furthermore, female renal grafts are less favorable in terms of outcome and survival. Gender disparities affect transplant medicine due to subtle gender-specific immunological factors. Sociocultural factors also lead to differences in the clinical treatment of men and women, which may influence overall survival.

CONCLUSION: For a better understanding of gender-specific differences in transplant medicine and a possible improvement in outcome, further research in this field is necessary.