Table 1.
Demographic and clinical laboratory characteristics of primary biliary cirrhosis patients at the time of entry (n = 262) n (%)
| Age (yr), mean ± SD | 51.5 ± 10.2 |
| Gender (female/male), n | 240/22 |
| The symptomatic | 170 (64.9) |
| Jaundice | 78 (29.8) |
| Pruritus | 69 (26.3) |
| Persistent fatigue | 63 (24.0) |
| Pain in the right hypochondrium | 40 (15.3) |
| UDCA responders | 190 (72.5) |
| Early PBC | 19 (7.3) |
| Extra-hepatic autoimmune diseases | 96 (36.6) |
| Sjögren's syndrome | 54 (20.6) |
| Autoimmune thyroid diseases | 25 (9.5) |
| CREST/systemic sclerosis | 8 (3.1)/3 (1.1) |
| Polymyositis/dermatomyositis | 8 (3.1)/1 (0.4) |
| Systemic lupus erythematosus | 4 (1.5) |
| Psoriasis | 4 (1.5) |
| Rheumatoid arthritis | 3 (1.1) |
| Takayasu’s arteritis | 2 (0.8) |
| Histological stages | 110 (42.0) |
| I-II | 97 (88.2) |
| III-IV | 13 (11.8) |
UDCA: Ursodeoxycholic acid; PBC: Primary biliary cirrhosis; PBC: Primary biliary cirrhosis; CREST: Comprehensive overview covers symptoms, causes, treatment of this autoimmune disorder.