Racial Disparities in Presentation and Liver-Related Outcomes of Autoimmune Hepatitis

A few small single-center studies have shown varying presentation and outcomes of autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) based on race or ethnicity. To investigate these associations further, researchers conducted a retrospective study of disease characteristics and outcomes among approximately 1000 patients with AIH identified from two transplant centers in London and multiple centers in the Netherlands.

The cohort comprised 88 black patients (i.e., self-reported origin of sub-Saharan African, Afro-American, or Afro-Caribbean) and 897 white patients (i.e., self-reported origin of Caucasian or European). At initial presentation, black patients were younger (38 vs. 45 years) and had higher immunoglobulin G levels and higher prevalence of systemic lupus e…