Symptoms of Primary Biliary Cirrhosis

The liver is an extremely important organ to the overall survival of the human body, and chronic conditions such as primary biliary cirrhosis can be very serious and dangerous conditions. To diagnose the condition, a doctor will use a blood test, an imaging test such as an ultrasound or an MRI and a liver biopsy to check for any extensive liver damage or scarring.
  1. Identification

    • The human body has an intricate network of tubing referred to as bile ducts. Bile is a substance that is made in the liver and that the body uses to break down fats and dispose of dead red blood cells. Bile ducts carry the bile from the liver to the various parts of the body that need it. The condition of primary biliary cirrhosis is the gradual deterioration of those bile ducts, causing bile to build up in the liver--and the substances that the bile was supposed to eliminate to build up in the body. According to the Mayo Clinic, the exact reason as to why the bile ducts are slowly destroyed is still unknown.

    Effects

    • It is possible to diagnose primary biliary cirrhosis prior to experiencing any noticeable symptoms. In some cases a doctor may notice the onset of primary biliary cirrhosis through levels found in a blood test. But the early symptoms of primary biliary cirrhosis, while modest and often ignored, can be spotted if the person knows what they are. These early symptoms include chronic fatigue that does not seem to get better no matter how much rest the person gets, a chronic itching problem that may become so bad that it can cause the person to wake from a sound sleep and a noticeable drop in the production of saliva and tears that can result in dry eyes and mouth.

    Potential

    • Some of the advanced symptoms of primary biliary cirrhosis are very noticeable. One of the later symptoms is jaundice. This is when the bile begins to leak out into the body thanks to the break down of the bile ducts and gives a yellowish tint to the skin and the whites of the eyes. Other later symptoms include swollen and painful feet, abdominal pain and cramps, chronic diarrhea and painful urination that is the result of recurring urinary tract infections.

    Prevention/Solution

    • There is no cure for primary biliary cirrhosis, so treatment focuses on slowing down the progression of the disease and offering the best possible quality of life. There is a series of medications a doctor may use to help slow the development of primary biliary cirrhosis and reduce the effects of the symptoms. In some cases, primary biliary cirrhosis may cause the liver to start to fail. In these extreme circumstances a liver transplant may be used to replace the dying liver. Although this will help prolong a person's life while suffering from primary biliary cirrhosis, a liver transplant is not going to cure the condition.

    Considerations

    • The Mayo Clinic suggests that 9 out of every 10 people who contract primary biliary cirrhosis are women. It is a condition that is extremely rare in children and is more apt to strike people in their 40s, 50s or 60s. The condition is not genetic and is not passed on from one generation to the next within the same family. But numbers do suggest that a family history of primary biliary cirrhosis tends to increase the chances of contracting it.

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