Live with primary bile colangitis

2

English

In the last months of 2011, Dana Walker knew that something was wrong when she had difficulty breathing when she climbed a small hill from the parking lot to her office. He was also unusually exhausted after he trained Taekwondo.

“I was completely breathless and with very dry mouth, so I ran constantly to drink water,” said Walker. “My neck became as dry as a bone.”

Walker believed that he could have diabetes due to the continuous thirst. He told his medical provider of header medically and added that he also itch in Las Palmas of his hands.

Walker said that his medical provider of the header suspected that he could have primary gall or CBP colangitis, and asked for blood tests to check this. When the results showed a high degree of liver enzymes, he referred to Walker to a gastroenterologist who requested additional evidence that confirmed the diagnosis.

It would be the beginning of a long process that could give way to organic insufficiency and even death.

What is the CBP?

Before the primary bile cirrhosis is known because the disease in advanced stages of liver diseases has been often diagnosed, CBP is a rare autoimmune disease that mainly affects women over 40 years, but can also affect men. Researchers estimate that around 65 out of 100,000 women in the United States live with CBP and people with this disorder, 9 out of 10 women are women.

Although CBP affects people from all racist and ethnic group, Hispanic people who live with CBP are more susceptible than non -Hispanic white people who live with CBP for hospital stays, and black people are more common in diseases.

CBP occurs when small liver bile duct can be attacked or destroyed. When you usually work, the channels remove the bile and transport them into the intestine in which you can be removed. When the channels are destroyed, the bile accumulates and has no one anywhere. Chronic itching, referred to as pruritus, may be the way the blockade manifests itself in your body, but the accumulation of bile also violates the liver, which can give way to permanent scars and cirrhosis, a disease, through healing in your liver tissue Fatigue is another common symptom of CBP and other autoimmune diseases.

“Most patients with CBP have no symptoms or are very low, and the disorder is only identified by abnormal blood tests,” said Christopher Bowus, MD, Head of the Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology of UC Davis Health. “Blood tests usually show high mirrors of liver enzymes.”

The tests try to recognize a substance called alkaline phosphatase. People who live with CBP often have another blood marker called antimitation antibodies. Most CBP cases are diagnosed when both factors are available.

People who live with CBP should undergo clinical treatment. Without treatment, CBP could cause liver lesions.

“There are two aspects of CBP, the quality of life in connection with the severity of the symptoms and progress of liver disease that can cause cirrhosis, and the need for a liver transplant,” said Bowus. “They do not necessarily have a relationship with each other. People can have serious symptoms, but a slight liver disease and vice versa. Regardless of whether the symptoms are present or not, all patients should receive treatment to avoid the progress of liver disease.”

Steps that you can take to give your well with priority when you live with CBP

In addition to clinical treatment, Bowus said that minimizing alcohol consumption or completely avoidance is important for a person with a liver disease, especially if your CBP is in an advanced stage.

Maintaining a healthy diet could be useful for people with CBP to control the symptoms, although the nutritional needs can differ depending on the stage of the disease and the severity of the symptoms. Reducing food that require a bile in the digestive process that contain foods that have a high content of saturated fats, sugar or sodium can be useful. Movement could also be useful to reduce fatigue and strengthen bones, which is important because 3 out of 10 people who live with CBP develop osteoporosis.

Good communication with your medical provider about how you feel and your symptoms are another way to improve your experience when you live with CBP. For example, people who live with CBP sometimes do not combine their illness with their chronic itching, so that they do not mention their medical providers what gives way so as not to get adequate attention.

A greater awareness can give way to better clinical results

The number of known CBP cases increases because the disease, more precise diagnoses and better treatments give more awareness, Bowus said, which points out that many people who live with CBP still do not receive any treatment. Medical care (HCP) must be aware of the disorder in order to deliver the correct diagnosis or to refer patients to specialists, and even medical suppliers who know about the CBP could not know the latest treatment options as available, including useful treatments, They are useful for people who are not adequately responding to medication that medical providers use first.

For people who live with CBP who have no access to specialists, including rural areas or economic instability, which prevents them from visiting medical care, a lack of treatment can convert a controllable diagnosis into a more serious.

Walker said she was lucky enough to live in Baltimore, where she can go to First Medical Care facilities with medical suppliers who are aware of the CBP and can treat them in early stages. In their support groups of social networks, however, Walker often reads stories of women who are frustrated because their medical suppliers do not know much about the disease.

“You have the feeling that because of your circumstances you don’t have the same attention as other people,” said Walker.

Walker also said that he is trying to share as much information as possible to help other people with CBP. He does it in honor of Shirley Bouloubassis, with whom he became a friend when he received the diagnosis.

“Shirley was the first person I met that I had CBP, led me and communicated with me to support me for a terrible time of my life,” said Walker. “He referred to me and others like her CBP sisters. She was a great activist in relation to the promotion of consciousness. She collected money for it [investigaciones] And promoted the union of the CBP sisters to remember that we are not alone. ”

This educational resource was created with the support of Gilead.

From their site articles

Related articles related to the web

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Accept Read More