What is Primary Biliary Cirrhosis (PBC)?
Primary biliary cirrhosis is a disease of the bile ducts inside the liver. It progresses slowly, so patients may lead active, productive lives for many years. In PBC, the bile ducts in the liver become inflamed. The inflammation is chronic (constant over a long period of time), and causes scaring that eventually blocks and destroys the bile ducts. This condition interferes with the proper drainage of bile, so the bile backs up into the liver and into the bloodstream, causing various symptoms. Eventually the liver itself becomes badly damaged and scarred. This is known as cirrhosis.
