Primary sclerosing cholangitis

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Causes

By Mayo Clinic staff

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Illustration of bile duct damage Bile duct damage

It's not clear what causes primary sclerosing cholangitis. It's believed that the condition may be caused by an immune system reaction to an infection or toxin in people with a predisposition to develop the disease.

Primary sclerosing cholangitis occurs more frequently in people with certain other medical conditions, particularly inflammatory bowel disease. It's not clear how these conditions are linked and whether they share similar causes.

Risk factors Symptoms
References
  1. Ross AS, et al. Sclerosing cholangitis and recurrent pyogenic cholangitis. In: Feldman M, et al. Sleisenger & Fordtran's Gastrointestinal and Liver Disease: Pathophysiology, Diagnosis, Management. 9th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2010. http://www.mdconsult.com/books/about.do?eid=4-u1.0-B978-1-4160-6189-2..X0001-7--TOP&isbn=978-1-4160-6189-2&about=true&uniqId=229935664-2192. Accessed March 3, 2011.
  2. Diagnosis and management of primary sclerosing cholangitis. Alexandria, Va.: American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases. http://www.aasld.org/practiceguidelines/Documents/Practice%20Guidelines/PSC_2-2010.pdf. Accessed March 3, 2011.
  3. Lopez MJ, et al. Primary sclerosing cholangitis and primary biliary cirrhosis. The American College of Gastroenterology. http://www.acg.gi.org/patients/gihealth/sclerosing.asp. Accessed March 3, 2011.
  4. Primary sclerosing cholangitis. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/primarysclerosingcholangitis/index.htm. Accessed March 3, 2011.
  5. Liver health. American Liver Foundation. http://www.liverfoundation.org/abouttheliver/liverhealth/. Accessed March 3, 2011.
  6. Mendes F, et al. Primary and sclerosing cholangitis: Overview and update. Nature Reviews Gastroenterology & Hepatology. 2010;7:611.
  7. Rosenthal TC, et al. Fatigue: An overview. American Family Physician. 2008;78:1173.
DS00918 April 9, 2011

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