Primary Biliary Cholangitis: A Case of Underdiagnosis

Abstract

Primary biliary cholangitis is a rare autoimmune cholestatic disease with a variable clinical course. Its etiopathogenesis has not been completely clarified. It predominantly affects women and often progresses to liver cirrhosis. It may be asymptomatic or symptomatic with hepatic or extrahepatic manifestations. If its diagnosis and treatment are made early, the progression to cirrhosis and liver failure can be prevented. We describe a clinical case of a 63-year-old woman, with no history of hepatotoxic drugs, who presented an analytical pattern of cytocholestasis with more than one decade of evolution.