Saturday, August 13, 2011

Cholestatic Liver Disease

The term "cholestasis" literally means "standing still of bile." When the flow of bile in your body is disrupted, anicteric cholestasis levels in the body will rise. Middle-aged women over the age of 40 are the ones who usually suffer from the chronic type of cholestatic liver disease. This type of disease is called "primary biliary cirrhosis."

celiac disease

Diagnosis

DISEASE

About 90 percent of patients diagnosed with primary biliary cirrhosis are women over the age of 40. Women living in northern Europe tend to be more susceptible to this disease compared to women in other parts of the world. Women in Japan have the lowest rate of diagnosed cases of this disease.

The diagnosis of cholestatic liver disease is based on a combination of many findings and tests. Some of these factors include findings of cholestatic liver enzymes, a positive anti-mitochondrial antibody, and characteristic liver biopsy. The most common laboratory finding is the detection of elevated serum alkaline phosphates of liver origin. The presence of anti-mitochondrial antibody is the most characteristic laboratory finding in cholestatic liver disease. Over 95 percent of all who suffer from this disease will test positive for anti-mitochondrial antibody.

Signs and Symptoms

Fatigue is the most common symptom of this disorder. Seventy to eighty percent of all the patients suffering from this disease experience this symptom. However, fatigue is generally not an indication of the severity of this disorder. As the disorder progresses, other symptoms may arise, such as hypertension. As the disorder progresses even more, the ability to absorb fat-soluble vitamins will continue to decrease. As the disorder progresses further, autoimmune disorders will begin to develop. For example, a patient with this disease may begin to develop an autoimmune thyroid disease, as well as an inflammatory bowel disease once this disorder is left to progress.

Cholestatic Liver Disease

DISEASE

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