Primary Biliary Cholangitis
Primary biliary cirrhosis was the former name of primary biliary cholangitis (PBC). It is a chronic disease that slowly destroys your liver’s bile ducts. Bile is a critical enzyme the body needs to help expel unwanted toxins, cholesterol, and red blood cells that are already worn out.
Primary biliary cholangitis is an autoimmune disease. When you acquire this disease, your immune system will attack your healthy tissues instead of protecting your body against infection. As a result, PBC harms the liver’s bile ducts, and over time, the bile accumulates in your liver. The accumulated fluid causes the liver to swell. Eventually, scarring and cirrhosis will occur. Unfortunately, the medical community still does not know what causes PBC. Thus, there is still no cure for the disease, although treatments are available to slow the disease’s progression as long as the doctor diagnoses the disease early.
As you know, bile is a vital fluid that helps digestion and absorption of some vitamins. Therefore, it is vital to see your doctor to check if you have this disease because if left undiagnosed, it could lead to liver failure. Primary biliary cholangitis affects both sexes, although there is a higher incidence among women.
