Primary biliary cholangitis (pbc)

[Zipporah Schumaker]

Primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) is inflammation with progressive scarring of the bile ducts in the liver. Eventually, the ducts are blocked, the liver becomes scarred, and cirrhosis and liver failure develop.

Primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) probably results from an autoimmune reaction.
This disorder commonly causes itchiness, fatigue, dry mouth and eyes, and jaundice, but some people have no symptoms.
A blood test to measure certain antibodies can usually confirm the diagnosis.
Treatment includes relieving symptoms, slowing liver damage, and treating complications.

(See also Cirrhosis of the Liver.)
Primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) is most common among women aged 35 to 70, although it can occur in men and women of any age. It tends to occur in families.
The liver produces bile, a greenish yellow, thick, sticky fluid that aids digestion. Bile also helps eliminate certain waste products (mainly bilirubin and excess cholesterol) and by-products of drugs from the body. Bile ducts are small tubes that carry bile from the liver to the gallbladder and then to the small intestine. Primary biliary cholangitis affects only the small bile ducts inside the liver and the liver cells near these bile ducts. Another inflammatory bile duct disorder, primary sclerosing cholangitis, affects bile ducts inside and outside the liver.
Primary biliary cholangitis begins with inflammation of the bile ducts. The inflammation blocks the flow of bile out of the liver. Thus, bile remains in the liver cells, causing inflammation. If damage from the inflammation is mild, the liver commonly repairs itself by making new liver cells and attaching them to the web of connective tissue (internal structure) that is left when liver cells die. As inflammation spreads, a latticework of scar tissue (fibrosis) develops throughout the liver. The scar tissue performs no function, and it can distort the liver