Prevalence of primary sclerosing cholangitis in Saudi patients with liver disease

Objective: To determine the prevalence of primary sclerosing cholangitis (SC) in Saudi patients referred with liver disease. Methods: We prospectively evaluated 332 Saudi patients with liver disease over an 11-month period. Results: Eight patients had PSC based on cholangiographic, biochemical and histologic characteristics. All patients were Saudi; seven were male and one was female, with an age range of 11-65 years. Seven had cirrhosis, and none had inflammatory bowel disease either macro or microscopically. Three had serum antibodies to the hepatitis C virus. Conclusion: This is the first report of a series of Saudi patients with PSC. The prevalence of PSC in patients seen in our center with liver disease is 2.4%, suggesting that the disease is under-reported and probably under-diagnosed in Saudi Arabia. The significance of hepatitis C antibodies in three of our patients is not known, although an association between hepatitis C and PSC is possible and should be further investigated.