Natural history and prognostic factors of primary biliary cirrhosis in Taiwan: a follow-up study up to 18 years

Purpose: The natural history of primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) has been little studied in Asia. We conducted a Taiwanese cohort study on the natural history of PBC and analysed the prognostic factors. Methods: This study enrolled 96 consecutive PBC patients between 1985 and 2006 to evaluate the baseline characteristics and outcomes. Results: There were 74 females and 22 males. Eighty-five were positive for antimitochondrial antibodies in sera, and 11 were negative. The clinical manifestations and prognosis were similar between these two groups. In a median follow-up of 47.5±55.8 months, 27 patients died. Multivariate analysis indicated that the independent prognostic factors were serum albumin (P=0.021), creatinine (P=0.033) and ursodeoxycholic acid treatment (P=0.008). Besides, 42 patients developed adverse outcomes. Albumin (P