Primary Biliary Cirrhosis is classed as an autoimmune disease. The body's own defense system attacks the tissues of the body, in this case the liver. As the liver is attacked, the small bile ducts of the liver become inflamed and then destroyed. These ducts carry bile to the small intestine. Bile is a substance that aids digestion and carries away waste products. When the small bile ducts are damaged, they block the flow of bile and thus the bile becomes backed up in the liver. As the inflammation progresses, it begins to spread to liver cells and coupled with the toxicity of the bile, scarring (cirrhosis) occurs. When cirrhosis is evident, a person is seen to have end stage PBC.
Fibromyalgia
Fibromyalgia is associated with autoimmune changes within the body. This syndrome causes widespread pain and fatigue. Muscles, ligaments and tendons are all affected by pain in Fibromyalgia Syndrome.
Unlike PBC, I had heard of Fibro simply because I have some very dear friends that suffer with the condition. With my own diagnosis of PBC, I set about attempting to discover as much as I could about this disease. My road to discovery led me to the PBC-er's.Org and their wonderful PBC Daily Digest. The digest is a goldmine of information formed by PBC sufferers that pose questions, offer answers and essentially vent their frustrations about living with PBC on a day-to-day basis. Coupled with the latest research available and access to reputable doctors and medicinal approaches, the PBC-ers.Org is at the forefront of leading the charge to find a cure for PBC.
It was during my many forays into this digest that I discovered that quite a number of PBC-sufferers also suffered with Fibromyalgia. Presented with both conditions on the same plate, I wanted to examine what PBC and Fibro had in common. In some cases these illnesses overlapped, but it was less clear as to whether PBC overlapped Fibro or Fibro overlapped PBC.
Common Symptoms
The following symptoms are common for both PBC and Fibro:
- Aches and pain throughout the body
- Poor sleep patterns
- Extreme fatigue
- Chostochondritis
- Memory problems or "brain fog"
- Dizziness
- Numbness
- Itching
- Restless Leg Syndrome - RLS
- Fluid retention
- Abdominal cramps
- Both illnesses are more common in women than in men
- In both cases the cause of the disease is unknown, but it has been considered that the role of infection can be a trigger factor for both.
- In both cases another disorder can be present such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, autoimmune hepatitis or hypothyroidism
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