Presentation and Diagnosis of Primary Biliary Cirrhosis in the 21st Century
Primary biliary cirrhosis is a slowly progressive, cholestatic, and chronic liver disease in which the epithelium of the intrahepatic biliary tree is destroyed by a chronic inflammatory process. The origin of this disease, which mainly affects middle-aged women, is unknown but has characteristics favoring an autoimmune etiology. This article reviews the presentation and diagnosis of PBC in the 21st century.
aGastroenterology, Toronto Western Hospital (University Health Network/University of Toronto), 399 Bathurst Street, Toronto, Ontario M5T2S8, Canada
bGastroenterology and Metabology, Ehime University Graduate School of Medicine, Shitsukawa, To-on, Ehime 791-0295, Japan
Corresponding author. Toronto Western Hospital, 6B-Fell #168, 399 Bathurst Street, Toronto, Ontario M5T2S8, Canada.
ABSTRACT