PBC and PSC

[Guest guest]

Primary Biliary CirrhosisPrimary biliary cirrhosis is a liver disease that slowly destroys the bileducts in the liver. Bile, a substance that helps digest fat, leaves theliver through these ducts. When the ducts are damaged, bile builds up in theliver and damages liver tissue. Over time, the disease can cause cirrhosisand may make the liver stop working.The cause of primary biliary cirrhosis is unknown. The disease affects womenmore 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 withinthe immune system.http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/primarybiliarycirrhosis/index.htm~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~http://pbcers.org/http://cpmcnet.columbia.edu/dept/gi/PBC.htmlhttp://www.medicinenet.com/Primary_Biliary_Cirrhosis/article.htmhttp://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000282.htmhttp://www.pbcfoundation.org.uk/http://www.gicare.com/pated/ecdlv34.htm~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Primary Sclerosing CholangitisIn primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC), the bile ducts inside and outsidethe liver become inflamed and scarred. As the scarring increases, the ductsbecome blocked. The ducts are important because they carry bile out of theliver. Bile is a liquid that helps break down fat in food. If the ducts areblocked, bile builds up in the liver and damages liver cells. Eventually,PSC can cause liver failure.Researchers do not know what causes PSC. Among the theories underinvestigation are the possible role of bacteria, viruses, and immune systemproblems. PSC appears to be associated with ulcerative colitis, a type ofinflammatory bowel disease.The disease usually begins between ages 30 and 60, but the disease can alsoarise during childhood. PSC is more common in men than women. PSC progressesslowly, so a personcan have the disease for years before symptoms develop.The main symptoms are itching, fatigue, and jaundice, which causes yellowingof the eyes or skin. An infection in the bile ducts can cause chills andfever.http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/primarysclerosingcholangitis/index.htm~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~http://www.medicinenet.com/Primary_Sclerosing_Cholangitis/article.htmhttp://cpmcnet.columbia.edu/dept/gi/PSC.htmlhttp://www.gastromd.com/education/primarysclerosingcholangitis.htmlhttp://www.gicare.com/pated/ecdlv35.htmhttp://www.intelihealth.com/IH/ihtIH/WSIHW000/9339/10569.htmlhttp://www.merck.com/pubs/mmanual_home2/sec10/ch136/ch136e.htmhttp://ibscrohns.about.com/cs/psc/~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Below is a sample note from the liver transplant support group with one ofthe patients explaining in layman's terms. Anyone can join that group atliver_transplantDate: Sun, 17 Aug 2003 18:11:24 -0700 (PDT) From: TiSubject: Re: Discussion of PBCPBC and PSC are 2 diseases of the bile ducts that lead toeventual liver failure. In PBC - Primary Biliary Cirrhosis - thesmall micro-ducts inside the liver disappear, leaving no way forthe bile to get out. In PSC - Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis -the bile ducts (both inside the liver and between the liver andthe intestine) scar and get blocked, leaving no way for the bileto get out.Because the damage to the liver in both diesases is caused bycholeostatis (bile unable to get out of the liver) they exhibitsimilar symptoms. The majority of PBC patients are female, themajority of PSC patients are male. (about 2 out of 3 in eachcase). Both diseases are thought to be autoimmune related,although what triggers them is unknown. Ursodiol has been shownto slow the progression to liver failure in PBC, but has notbeen shown to prolong time to liver failure in PSC.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Urso or ursodeoxycholic acid. You can read about it athttp://www.rxlist.com/cgi/generic2/urso.htm or go to http://www.rxlist.comand type urso into the search area.