A recent study published in Liver International analyzed patients with primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) who presented with higher IgG levels at diagnosis.
Primary Biliary Cholangitis
PBC is a chronic, progressive liver disease in which the bile ducts become inflamed and damaged. This leads to the buildup of bile and causes liver problems such as scarring, cirrhosis, and eventual liver failure. PBC is more common in women. Many people do not have symptoms when they are first diagnosed and may not develop symptoms for several years. Early symptoms may include fatigue, pruritus, and abdominal pain. As the disease progresses, people with PBC may develop weakness, nausea, diarrhea, edema, bone and joint pain, jaundice, dark urine, and xanthomas. PBC is considered an autoimmune disease in which the immune system malfunctions and mistakenly attacks a person’s healthy bile duct cells, causing the inflammation and damage.
Study
Many patients withPBC present with increased IgG levels at baseline. The goal of this study was to evaluate the prognostic significance of IgG levels in patients with PBC. Data was collected from 675 patients, with 592 being non-cirrhotic.
Among the non-cirrhotic patients, 97 patients presented with increased IgG levels. The majority of these patients were female, had a higher frequency of concurrent autoimmune disease, and a higher frequency of PBC-specific ANA, sp100, and gp210. Patients with increased IgG levels were also observed to be older, have lower albumin, and higher AST, ALT, ALP, γGT, and IgM compared to those with normal IgG. Higher probability of cirrhosis development and liver-related death was also observed in patients with higher IgG. Additionally, normalization of IgG levels led to favorable effects on disease outcome.
To learn more about PBC and other rare gastrointestinal diseases, visit https://checkrare.com/diseases/gastrointestinal-diseases/
References:
Rigopoulou EI, et al. Increased IgG Levels at Diagnosis Are Associated With Worse Prognosis of Patients With Primary Biliary Cholangitis. Liver Int. 2025 Apr; 45: 370074.. https://doi.org/10.1111/liv.70074
