The extrahepatic events of Asian patients with primary biliary cholangitis: A 30-year cohort study

Sci Rep. 2019 May 20;9(1):7577. doi: 10.1038/s41598-019-44081-x.

Abstract

The extrahepatic complications of primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) in Asian patients remain elusive. A 30-year cohort study of 150 Taiwanese PBC patients treated with ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) was conducted. Patients with alkaline phosphatase levels >1.67 × ULN after 1-year treatment were considered suboptimal responders. At baseline, of 150 patients (mean age: 53.75 years), 128 (85.3%) were females, and 34 (22.8%) had cirrhosis. The cumulative incidences of various incident events were all-cause mortality or liver transplantation: 46.7%; extrahepatic mortality: 24.5%; extrahepatic malignancies: 8.1%; hypertension: 46.2%; dyslipidemia: 44.1%; diabetes: 30.6%; hyperuricemia: 11.2%; acute coronary syndrome: 3.1%; cerebral vascular accident (CVA): 8.9%; autoimmune diseases: 16%; and osteoporosis: 20.9%. The 5- to 20-year cumulative incidences for all-cause mortality or liver transplantation and extrahepatic mortality were 16.2-41.3% and 3.1-11.9%, respectively. Baseline associations were age and alpha-fetoprotein levels with extrahepatic mortality, 80% due to sepsis; age with extrahepatic malignancies and hypertension; gender and hyperuricemia with CVA; and UDCA response with autoimmune disease. Conclusions: Sepsis accounted for most extrahepatic mortality in PBC patients, and the longer the follow-up was, the higher the extrahepatic/all-cause mortality ratio. Baseline age is crucial for incident extrahepatic events and only CVA shows gender-dimorphism; the association between UDCA response and autoimmune disease requires further investigation.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Acute Coronary Syndrome / etiology
  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Diabetes Complications / etiology
  • Dyslipidemias / etiology
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Hypertension / etiology
  • Hyperuricemia / etiology
  • Incidence
  • Liver Cirrhosis, Biliary / complications*
  • Liver Cirrhosis, Biliary / epidemiology
  • Liver Cirrhosis, Biliary / therapy
  • Liver Transplantation
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Neoplasms / etiology
  • Retrospective Studies
  • Taiwan / epidemiology