Evaluation of epidemiologic and demographic aspects of primary biliary cirrhosis in Isfahan population from 2009 - 2017

Primary biliary cirrhosis is a chronic cholestatic disease of the liver, characterized by the inflammation plus progressive and non-purulent destruction of the small biliary ducts, and the presence of auto antibodies against mitochondrial self-antigens. It seems that the prevalence of PBC in the western world is more than other parts of the world. This study aimed to identify all the patients with PBC in Isfahan and describe their epidemiological and demographic characteristics. The current study was a historical (retrospective) cohort investigation, which conducted between 2009 and 2017. We conducted this study by filling out questionnaires and obtaining the patients’ records and making telephone calls with previously admitted patients. Sampling was done as a census of all patients according to the study inclusion criteria. To analyze the data. SPSS software Version 16 was used and P-value <.05 was acceptable. Chi-square test for categorical variables and descriptive statistics were used to compare the demographic and clinical variables among the studied groups. In this study, 44 patients with primary biliary cirrhosis were identified. According to the population of 2243249 people in Isfahan, the prevalence of this disease in Isfahan was 1.96 per 100,000 people. Out of these 44 individuals, 29 (76%) displayed pure primary biliary cirrhosis, and 11 people (24%) had overlap syndrome (Primary biliary cirrhosis + autoimmune hepatitis). Within the last nine years, the prevalence of primary biliary cirrhosis in Isfahan has been much lower than in European and American countries and is approximately the same as in Australia. In the present study, most primary biliary cirrhosis patients (95%) were symptomatic at the time of the diagnosis. These rsults are different from the other studies