Clinical Analysis Of Primary Biliary Cirrhosis: A Report Of 34 Cases

Background and AimPrimary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) is characterized by progressive destruction of small intrahepatice bile ducts, leading to liver cirrhosis and failure. PBC incidence becomes increasing. More studies of PBC are carried out. In order to facilitate recognition of the disease, our study tried to get the features of PBC, including clinical symptoms, lab tests, treatment and prognosis.MethodsGeneral status, clinical manifestations and laboratory findings of 34 patients with PBC were reviewed.ResultsAmong the 34 patients, 29 females and 5males, the mean age of them was 52 years old. The mean duration of the disease was 32 months. The main manifestations of PBC were jaundice, fatigue, pruritis, dyspeptic and hepatomegaly. There was elevated level of serum ALT and AST, hyperbilirubinemia, hyperglobulimenia, with predominant elevation of ALP, γ-GT. 73.53% patients were positive of AMA or AMA- M₂. AMA-negative and AMA-positive patients were different in gender of the two groups (p<0.05). 5 patients were observed of ERCP and was indicated PBC.Liver biopsy was available in 12 patients, 10 of them were positive, including 6 cases of PBC I , 3 of II and 1 of III. Ursodeoxycholic acid was treated with 33 cases. The prognosis of terminal patients was not well.ConclusionPrimary biliary cirrhosis is a chronic liver disease of unknown etiology, characterized by inflammation and destruction of the intrahepatic biliary ducts, resulting in chronic cholestasis and eventually cirrhosis. And it predominantly affects mid-aged women. There were kinds of clinical manifestations. AMA is the specific antibody of PBC. Diagnose of PBC should base on clinical manifestations and the results of laboratory test, liver biopsy is important one of them. The treatment of PBC is not very effective, only UDCA could be useful to certain extent. In conclusion, patients needs to be diagnosed in early stage and treated at once.