Clinical characteristics of patients with primary biliary cholangitis treated with ursodeoxycholic acid.

Abstract

Introduction:  Primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) is a chronic autoimmune cholestatic liver disease. Despite established first‑line therapy with ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA), many patients do not achieve biochemical remission. Data on the characteristics of PBC in Poland remain limited.

Objectives:  The aim of this study was to characterize demographic, clinical, and serological features of Polish patients with PBC and the effects of treatment in a multicenter retrospective cohort.

Patients and methods: A total of 364 patients from 10 hepatology centers were included. Data on demographics, laboratory tests, autoantibodies, and markers of the disease severity were collected between January 6 and March 8, 2025 and analyzed according to the duration of UDCA treatment (<2 vs ≥2 years).

Results:  Women constituted 92.3% of the cohort. Most patients were aged 60-80 years, but the proportion of men was relatively higher in the groups below 50 and over 80 years old. Cirrhosis was diagnosed in 35.2% of the patients. Antimitochondrial antibodies were present in 94.4%, and anti‑Ro52 antibodies in 34.1% of the study participants. Anti‑gp210 and anti‑sp100 antibodies were more frequent in the patients with longer disease duration. No substantial differences in liver biochemistry were found between short- and long‑term UDCA use groups, except for lower γ‑glutamyl transferase activity with longer treatment. Despite pruritus found in 46% of the patients, antipruritic therapy was rarely used.

Conclusions:  This is the first national study to characterize PBC in Poland. Its findings suggest limited long‑term efficacy of UDCA and unmet needs in symptom management. Anti‑gp210, anti‑sp100, and anti‑Ro52 antibodies may serve as important serologic markers. Prospective studies are needed to confirm these observations.