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Primary Biliary Cirrhosis Symptoms

Some early symptoms of primary biliary cirrhosis include fluid retention, osteoporosis, and fatty deposits around the eyes. As the liver becomes badly damaged by primary biliary cirrhosis, it may stop performing one or more of its normal functions. A few of the primary biliary cirrhosis symptoms that may occur during this late stage of the disease include intense itching, a slowing of mental function, and bleeding in the stomach and esophagus.

 

An Overview of Primary Biliary Cirrhosis Symptoms

The liver is an organ that performs many important functions. Some key functions of the liver include filtering waste, processing nutrients, storing fuel, and producing bile. Because the liver does so many important things for your body, you can't live without one.
 
But the liver can handle a lot of damage before it begins to slow down. This means that a person with early primary biliary cirrhosis of the liver may not even know that his or her liver is being damaged. He or she may not have any primary biliary cirrhosis symptoms or notice any physical changes to his or her body. For a lot of people, primary biliary cirrhosis is first discovered because of an abnormal blood test.
 

Early Symptoms of Primary Biliary Cirrhosis

Oftentimes, the earliest symptoms of primary biliary cirrhosis include itching (over the entire body or just on the palms and soles) and fatigue. Other symptoms usually appear a little later (after several months to years). These other symptoms can include:
 
  • Yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes (jaundice)
  • Darkening of exposed areas of the skin
  • Pale-colored, bulky, foul-smelling stool
  • Easy bruising
  • Bone pain
  • Osteoporosis (bone thinning)
  • Night blindness
  • Fatty deposits around the eyes and over the joints and tendons
  • Arthritis
  • Fluid retention
  • Dry mouth
  • Dry eyes.
     
(Primary Biliary Cirrhosis Symptoms Continued: Page 2)
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Written by/reviewed by: Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
Last reviewed by: Arthur Schoenstadt, MD