Pulmonary manifestations among patients with primary biliary cirrhosis

Abstract

Primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) is a chronic progressive cho-lestatic liver disease caused by diffuse inflammation, destruc-tion and fibrosis of the intrahepatic bile ducts, ultimately leading to cirrhosis, portal hypertension and liver failure. The pathogenesis of PBC is incompletely understood, but current data suggest roles for genetic susceptibility and environmental factors. PBC is often thought of as an organ-specific autoimmune disease, which mainly targets the liver; how-ever, lung tissue is also a site for autoimmune involvement of PBC. The pulmonary manifestations of PBC include abnormalities in gas transfer and pulmonary function, subclinical alveolitis, interstitial lung disease, granulomatous lung dis-ease, airway disease, pulmonary hypertension, pulmonary hemorrhage and pleural effusion.