21st April 2024

Features

PSC is often asymptomatic in the early stages of the disease. Patients may be diagnosed incidentally (i.e. abnormal liver biochemistry found incidentally, leading to further investigation). In later stages of the disease, patients may present with one or more of the following: right upper quadrant pain, itch, fatigue, raised bilirubin/jaundice, fever, or unintentional weight loss. Patients also often have a raised ALP and gamma-GT. A raised bilirubin is a marker of a poorer prognosis.

There is a high risk of colorectal cancer in patients with PSC and colitis. There is also a high risk of cholangiocarcinoma in patients with PSC who have not undergone liver transplantation.