SATURDAY, Oct. 30 (HealthDay News) -- Hepatitis C patients who receive a liver from a white donor have significantly more aggressive recurrent hepatitis than those who receive a liver from a black donor, researchers have found.

This is especially true for black patients who receive a liver from a white donor, the study authors noted.

Researchers from Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit looked at 165 hepatitis C patients who received a liver transplant at the hospital between 2000 and 2006. The patients were given a recurrent hepatitis C virus (HCV) score between 1 and 3.

The average recurrent HCV score for patients for each donor/recipient race combination was:

• White donor/white recipient: 1.54
• White donor/black recipient: 1.89
• Black donor/white recipient: 1.18
• Black donor/black recipient: 1.23

"The data suggests a graft from a white donor is potentially one more important variable in identifying patients at risk for more aggressive recurrent hepatitis after transplant and warrants further study," lead author Dr. Matthew Moeller, a gastroenterology fellow, said in a hospital news release.

The study findings were slated to be presented Oct. 29 at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases, in Boston.

According to data from the United Network for Organ Sharing cited in the news release, there are almost 18,000 Americans on the waiting list for liver transplants.

More information

The American Academy of Family Physicians has more about hepatitis C.