About Primary Biliary Cirrhosis

This site contains information from government publications about primary biliary cirrhosis that have been reformatted and reorganized. There are numerous links to the original documents.

The goal is to make the information easier to find and to allow the sharing of information between users.

This is a very big undertaking and you can help me help others. Please add your comments or questions to any topic that concerns you. If you know of additional resources please include links to them.

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• Experiences of primary biliary cirrhosis patients
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• Information about specific primary biliary cirrhosis treatments
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• Information about hospitals specializing in the detection and treatment of primary biliary cirrhosis
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• Information about physicians specializing in the treatment of primary biliary cirrhosis

If possible please include:

• Links to primary biliary cirrhosis websites
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Primary Biliary Cirrhosis

Primary biliary cirrhosis is a liver disease that slowly destroys the bile ducts in the liver. Bile, a substance that helps digest fat, leaves the liver through these ducts. When the ducts are damaged, bile builds up in the liver and damages liver tissue. Over time, the disease can cause cirrhosis and may make the liver stop working.

The cause of primary biliary cirrhosis is unknown. The disease affects women more often than men, and usually occurs between the ages of 30 and 60 years. Some research suggests that the disease might be caused by a problem within the immune system.

The most common symptoms of primary biliary cirrhosis are itchy skin and fatigue. Other symptoms include jaundice (yellowing of the eyes and skin), cholesterol deposits on the skin, fluid retention, and dry eyes or mouth. Some people with primary biliary cirrhosis also have osteoporosis, arthritis, and thyroid problems.

Primary biliary cirrhosis is diagnosed through laboratory tests, x rays, and in some cases, a liver biopsy (a simple operation to remove a small piece of liver tissue). Treatment may include taking vitamin and calcium supplements, hormone therapy, and medicines to relieve symptoms. Ursodiol is beneficial for patients with primary biliary cirrhosis although it does not cure the disease. A liver transplant may be necessary if the liver is severely damaged.

source: http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/primarybiliarycirrhosis/index.htm

For More Primary Biliary Cirrhosis Information

American Liver Foundation (ALF)
75 Maiden Lane, Suite 603
New York, NY 10038-4810
Phone: 1-800-GO-LIVER (465-4837),
1-888-4HEP-USA (443-7872),
or (212) 668-1000
Fax: (212) 483-8179
Email: info@liverfoundation.org
Internet: www.liverfoundation.org

Additional Information on Primary Biliary Cirrhosis

The National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse collects resource information on digestive diseases for the Combined Health Information Database (CHID). CHID is a database produced by health-related agencies of the Federal Government. This database provides titles, abstracts, and availability information for health information and health education resources.

To provide you with the most up-to-date resources, information specialists at the clearinghouse created an automatic search of CHID. To obtain this information, you may view the results of the automatic search on Primary Biliary Cirrhosis.

If you wish to perform your own search of the database, you may access the CHID Online website and search CHID yourself.

source: http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/primarybiliarycirrhosis/index.htm