An autoimmune disease of the small bile ducts, unrelated to viruses, alcohol, or obesity, that hides behind fatigue and itching for years. Volume 7 of the Secrets of a Healthy Liver series explains PBC — and why timely treatment preserves quality of life.
Secrets of a Healthy Liver — Volume 7
Primary Biliary Cholangitis: The Silent Liver Disease
An autoimmune disease of the liver's small bile ducts that has nothing to do with viruses, alcohol, or excess weight — and which hides for years behind fatigue, dry skin, and persistent itching. Prof. Seyed-Moayed Alavian sets out what PBC is and why diagnosing it in time changes everything that follows.
Publisher
Publication date
August 22, 2025
Print length
164 pages
Language
English
Format
Kindle edition
Series
Secrets of a Healthy Liver, Volume 7
Audience
Patients, families, medical students, and physicians
Get the book
Published by Brieflands and available worldwide as a Kindle edition on Amazon. For institutional orders, bulk copies, or translation rights, contact the publisher directly.
About this book
Some liver diseases progress so quietly that they stay hidden for years — from the patient and sometimes from the physician. Primary biliary cholangitis is among the most important of them: a chronic autoimmune condition that attacks the small bile ducts within the liver and, undiagnosed, can lead to fibrosis, cirrhosis, and liver failure.
PBC is unusual in that it is unconnected to viruses, alcohol, or obesity. It occurs most often in middle-aged women, and its early symptoms — fatigue, dry skin, chronic itching — are subtle enough to be attributed to almost anything else. That is precisely what earns it the description "silent".
Recent years have brought real progress in understanding the genetic and immunological basis of the disease, in earlier diagnosis, and in effective drug treatment. Diagnosed properly and treated appropriately, PBC can be managed and quality of life preserved.
Awareness is the first step in the path of care — and this book is an effort to take that important step.Prof. Seyed-Moayed Alavian — from the introduction
What the book covers
What PBC is
The autoimmune attack on small bile ducts, and how damage progresses if unchecked.
Who it affects
Why the disease predominates in middle-aged women, and what is known about susceptibility.
The subtle symptoms
Fatigue, dry skin, and chronic itching — the signals that get explained away.
Causes and immunology
Recent progress in understanding the genetic and immune basis of the disease.
Diagnosis and treatment
Earlier detection methods and the drug treatments that now change the trajectory.
Lifestyle
Living well with a chronic autoimmune liver condition over the long term.
Note. This book is patient and professional education, not a substitute for specialist care. Persistent unexplained fatigue or itching with abnormal liver tests warrants medical assessment, and PBC requires diagnosis and long-term monitoring by a hepatologist. Effective treatment exists and works best when started early.