Bile duct disease on the rise

The prevalence of primary biliary cholangitis is increasing in Australia, and may have been underestimated for decades, gastroenterologists say.

A 1991 Victorian study put the prevalence at 19.2 per million, based on a survey of gastroenterologists and hospital records.

But a new study, using the same methods plus a small number of liver transplant records, estimated a prevalence of 82.6 per million in 2013.

Additionally, the researchers looked at liver test results from three major pathology companies to identify patients diagnosed outside of hospitals, who were ignored