title: [The treatment of primary biliary cirrhosis with ursodeoxycholic acid. The short- and median-term results and their relation to the study of the disease].
abstract: We present the results of the treatment with ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA, 7-9 mg/kg body weight daily) of 17 patients with primary biliary cirrhosis (8 in stages I-II; 9 in stages III-IV). At two months the mean values of alkaline phosphatase, gammaglutamiltranspeptidase, alanine and aspartate aminotransferase were reduced (p less than 0.001, p less than 0.001, p less than 0.01 and p less than 0.01 respectively). This improvement persisted without increase during the first year. At two months the total bilirubin value was reduced (p less than 0.01) associated with a reduction in the conjugated fraction (p less than 0.05). Cholesterol and gammaglobulin mean values also decreased at two months (p less than 0.05). We found no changes in IgM levels and antimitochondrial antibody titers. The improvement was similar in both groups (early I-II and advanced III-IV stages) and the treatment showed no undesirable effects either in early or advanced stages. Almost all the patients with pruritus (6 out of 7) improved with the treatment and the use of cholestyramine was reduced in all.
authors.affiliation: Clínica Universitaria de Navarra, Universidad de Navarra.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: García Villarreal
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Zozaya
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Macías
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: García González
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Quiroga
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Conchillo
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Prieto
mesh_terms: D000284:Administration, Oral; D004341:Drug Evaluation; D004361:Drug Tolerance; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008105:Liver Cirrhosis, Biliary / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012074:Remission Induction; D013997:Time Factors; D014580:Ursodeoxycholic Acid / Q000008:administration & dosage*
chemical_list: D014580:Ursodeoxycholic Acid
vernacular_title: Tratamiento de la cirrosis biliar primaria con ácido ursodesoxicólico. Resultados a corto y medio plazo y relación con el estudio de la enfermedad.