A predictive tool that incorporates several blood biomarkers may help to identify primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) patients who are less likely to respond to treatment with ursodeoxycholic acid, known as UDCA, during the early stages of the disease, a study has found.

The data showed that three biomarkers — high total cholesterol, alkaline phosphatase, which is a marker of damage to the liver, and the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, a marker of inflammation — were independent risk factors for a poor response to UDCA, which was linked to more complications and shorter survival.

The study, “Development and external validation of an early prediction model to identify irresponsive patients and prognosis of UDCA treatment in primary biliary cholangitis,” was published in the journal Scientific Reports by a team of researchers in China.