Causes, Risk Factors, And Complications Of Primary Biliary Cholangitis

Enlarged Spleen

Primary biliary cholangitis can cause the accumulation of scar tissue in the liver. These fibrous tissues do not allow for the portal vein to accommodate a sufficient amount of blood that comes from the intestine, pancreas, and spleen. As stated previously, this mechanism causes the patient to develop portal hypertension, which causes blood flow congestion in the portal vein. When blood cannot move through the portal vein properly, it backs up into the organs it is coming from. One of the organs that receive blood from the aorta and sends it back to the heart via the portal vein is the spleen. The spleen belongs to the lymphatic and immune systems and is responsible for filtering blood and storing blood cells. The spleen also produces white blood cells that help fight off pathogens like the ones that cause meningitis and pneumonia. When blood backs up in the spleen, it causes the organ to swell and become enlarged.

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Cirrhosis

The liver is responsible for the production of blood-clotting proteins and bile, a substance that helps digest vitamins A, E, D, K, dietary fats, and cholesterol. The liver also stores certain vitamins and sugars so the body can use them later. The liver filters the blood of bacteria, wastes, and toxins not filtered out by the kidneys. Cirrhosis develops in the liver when the tissues sustain damage and experience injury repeatedly over an extended duration. Tissues that have been destroyed or damaged are replaced with scar tissue, which cannot function the same as the original liver tissues. The cells of the liver can be damaged by several different processes, including alcohol abuse, autoimmune disorders, viral infections, and primary biliary cholangitis. Primary biliary cholangitis causes bile to back up into the liver and induces high blood pressure in the portal vein, both being processes that are damaging to the cells of the organ.

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