[The importance of sex/gender for graft and patient survival].

Organ transplantation is the treatment of choice for patients with end-stage organ failure. Sex/gender differences in transplantation are extremely relevant, yet understudied. They are significant for every step in the transplantation process: from evaluation, listing, and acceptance onto the waiting list, to transition from the waiting list to transplantation, and finally to short- and long-term transplant survival. Ultimately, sex/gender differences also affect patient survival. Registry analyses often consider sex and gender only as a modifying factor, and women are underrepresented in clinical trials in transplantation medicine. The causes of these differences include not only biological factors (sex), but also psychosocial, socioeconomic, and cultural factors (gender). The current lack of consideration of sex/gender-specific differences leads to disadvantages. More targeted basic and clinical research must contribute to understanding the underlying mechanisms of these differences and applying them in diagnostic and therapeutic approaches.