We wish to thank all the members on our Doctors Panel, for giving us their time answering PBCers questions. We greatly appreciate all they do for us.

The following questions were answered by:

M.Eric Gershwin M.D.

• Distinguished Professor of Medicine
• The Jack and Donald Chia Professor of Medicine
• Chief, Division of Rheumatology, Allergy and Clinical Immunology
• Genome and Biomedical Sciences Facility
• University of California at Davis

Question 1

Is there any stem cell research being done with PBC? If there is does it look promising?

Answer 1

Yes we are doing stem cell work at UCDavis. It is too early to know the results but we hope to do some stem cell transplants in patients with severe disease within the next 6 months

Question 2

Many studies claim to show that the more caffeine that one takes in, the lower the risk for some kinds of liver disease, including hepatocarcinoma. Do you think this information would apply to PBCers? Is caffeine detrimental to PBC? Do you have any opinion about these studies?

Answer 2

There is no data that I am aware of

Question 3

I have a 12 year old daughter and am concerned that the PBC predisposition has been genetically handed down. What kind of steps can I take to prevent her from developing this disease and how often should I ask the pediatrician to check her for other autoimmune diseases.

If every female in my family has some sort of autoimmune issue, does this automatically predispose her to one or more? I can't find many studies on pediatric cases or steps to protect our children and would like your opinion.

Answer 3

I would not worry about it. You need to just live your life. Even with a crystal ball there is nothing that can be done and the odds are that she will be OK.

Question 4

I have read articles starting PBC is a virus. If PBC is a virus, can it be transmitted to others such as my husband, children, etc? If it is a virus, is it the same type as the flu virus?

Answer 4

I do not believe there is credible data showing that PBC is caused by a virus. I am sure that some people will disagree with me but I do not believe the evidence is there.

Question 5

If a person has high AMA blood test, is the PBC diagnosis firm without a biopsy? Can the AMA blood test diagnosis other diseases? What exactly does this test show to the doctor?

Answer 5

If the AMA is truly positive it is very suggestive of PBC. But it depends on a number of factors. We still do liver biopsis but not as often as in the past

Question 6

Recently several PBCers have spoken about being diagnosed with PBC a couple of years after allergic reactions to antibiotics - particularly sulpha drugs. Is anyone studying this relationship? I know that Septra and Bactrim list allergic side effects for people with liver disease, but could an allergic reaction be a trigger for PBC?

Answer 6

I have heard this as well but I believe it is just a coincidence.