Primary biliary cirrhosis and natural immunity

Natural history of primary biliary cirrhosis.

The natural history of PBC is characterized by slowly progressive cholestasis with liver damage, development of cirrhosis and its complications, and death, unless the patient undergoes liver transplantation. The disease has at least three clinical presentations, each with a different course and prognosis: the silent and usually less aggressive form, the asymptomatic form, and the symptomatic fo...

Natural history and management of primary biliary cirrhosis

Primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) is a chronic inflammatory autoimmune disease that mainly targets the cholangiocytes of the interlobular bile ducts in the liver. It is a rare disease with prevalence of less than one in 2000. Its prevalence in developing countries is increasing presumably because of growth in recognition and knowledge of the disease. PBC is thought to result from a combination of...

Asymptomatic primary biliary cirrhosis.

Primary biliary cirrhosis.

Primary biliary cirrhosis is a chronic liver disease characterised by intrahepatic bile-duct destruction, cholestasis, and, in some cases, cirrhosis. Evidence supporting the autoimmune nature of this disorder includes the appearance of highly specific antimitochondrial antibodies (AMAs) and autoreactive T cells. Concordance rates in monozygotic twins, familial prevalence, and genetic associatio...

Primary Biliary Cirrhosis

Primary Biliary Cirrhosis (PBC) is the result of long-standing damage to intra-hepatic biliary channels as a result of immune mechanisms leading to cholestasis and its associated complications. It can end up in chronic liver disease or cirrhosis. It usually manifests as pruritis that then proceeds to fatigue, jaundice and other features of chronic liver disease. It is detected by raised serolog...