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Housecall, our weekly general-interest e-newsletter, keeps you up to date on a wide variety of health topics with timely, reliable, practical information, recipes, blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts and more. Our biweekly topic-specific e-newsletters also include blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts, and other useful information that will help you manage your health.
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Lifestyle and home remedies
By Mayo Clinic staffTaking good care of your overall health may help you feel better and improve some of the symptoms of primary biliary cirrhosis:
- Eat a reduced-sodium diet, because sodium increases your risk of tissue swelling and of accumulating fluid in your abdominal cavity (ascites).
- Exercise and take calcium and vitamin D supplements to help reduce your risk of developing osteoporosis.
- Avoid alcohol consumption, because it speeds the progression of liver disease.
- Practice good skin care to reduce itching. Avoid scratching. Use cool, wet compresses. Try cool baking soda or oatmeal baths. Avoid irritating clothes, soaps and detergents.
- Use artificial tears to help reduce dry eyes.
- If you're a smoker, quit. Smoking may speed up the rate of liver scarring.
- Check with your doctor before starting new medications or dietary supplements. Because you're liver isn't working normally, you'll likely be more sensitive to the effects of over-the-counter and prescription medications, as well as some dietary supplements, so check with your doctor before taking anything new.
References
- Primary biliary cirrhosis. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/primarybiliarycirrhosis/index.htm. Accessed Aug. 14, 2009.
- Primary biliary cirrhosis. American Liver Foundation. http://www.liverfoundation.org/education/info/pbc/. Accessed Aug. 14, 2009.
- Cirrhosis. The Merck Manuals: The Merck Manual for Healthcare Professionals. http://www.merck.com/mmpe/sec03/ch026/ch026c.html. Accessed Aug. 14, 2009.
- Friedman LS. Liver, biliary tract and pancreas disorders. In: McPhee SJ, et al. Current Medical Diagnosis & Treatment. 48th ed. Los Altos, Calif.: Lange Medical Publications; 2009. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aID=7993. Accessed Aug. 14, 2009.
- Kaplan M, et al. Primary biliary cirrhosis. New England Journal of Medicine. 2005;353:1261.
- Kaplan MM. Clinical manifestations, diagnosis, and natural history of primary biliary cirrhosis. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed July 30, 2009.
- Kaplan MM. Overview of the treatment of primary biliary cirrhosis. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed July 30, 2009.
- Hirschfeld GM, et al. Primary biliary cirrhosis associated with HLA, IL12A, and IL12RB2 variants. New England Journal of Medicine. 2009;360:2544.
- Taouli B, et al. Advanced MRI methods for assessment of chronic liver disease. American Journal of Roentgenology. 2009;193:14.
- Lazaridis K, et al. Increased prevalence of antimitochondrial antibodies in first-degree relatives of patients with primary biliary cirrhosis. Hepatology. 2007;46:785.
- Lindor K. Ursodeoxycholic acid for the treatment of primary biliary cirrhosis. New England Journal of Medicine. 2007;357:1254.
- Picco MF (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, Fla. Aug. 31, 2009.
- Hay JE. Bone disease in cholestatic liver disease. Gastroenterology. 1995;108:278.
