Korean J Gastroenterol.  1999 Apr;33(4):548-556.

Comparison of Clinical Feat uresand Response to Ursodeoxycholic Acid Therapy in Autoimmune Cholangitis and Primary Biliary Cirrhosis

• Park NH
• Lee GC
• Yang SH
• Kang GH
• Yu ES
• Chung YH
• Lee YS
• Suh DJ

Abstract

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Autoimmune cholangitis (AC) is a disease with clinicopathologic features of pri mary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) without antimitochondrial antibody (AMA). The aim of this study was to compare the clinicopathologic features and the biochemical response to ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) in patients with autoimmune cholangitis (AC) and primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC).
METHODS
We retrospectively reviewed the clinical, histological and biochemical features of 8 patients with AC and compared them with those of 10 patients with PBC. Seven patients in each group were given UDCA (600 mg/day) and followed monthly for more than 12 months.
RESULTS
All patients of both groups were female. ANA were detected in 100% of patients with AC and in 60% of patients with PBC (p=0.09). IgG and IgM levels were significantly higher in the patients with PBC than in the patients with AC (p=0.02 and p=0.04, respectively). In both groups, the mean levels of alkaline phosphatase and gamma glutamyl transferase at 12th month after treatment with UDCA decreased significantly (p=0.018 and p=0.02 in AC, p=0.04 and p=0.04 in PBC, respectively).
CONCLUSIONS
Although the presence of autoantibodies and the levels of immunoglobulin are distinguishing labora tory features, the clinical features and the response to UDCA are similar in AC and PBC. It isuggested that AC seems to be AMA negative PBC and AC and PBC could be treated similarly.

Keyword

Antimitochondrial antibody; Antinuclear antibody; Primary biliary cirrhosis; Autoim-munecholangitis; UDCA

MeSH Terms

Alkaline Phosphatase
Antibodies, Antinuclear
Autoantibodies
Cholangitis*
Female
Humans
Immunoglobulin G
Immunoglobulin M
Immunoglobulins
Liver Cirrhosis, Biliary*
Retrospective Studies
Transferases
Ursodeoxycholic Acid*
Alkaline Phosphatase
Antibodies, Antinuclear
Autoantibodies
Immunoglobulin G
Immunoglobulin M
Immunoglobulins
Transferases
Ursodeoxycholic Acid